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Reviews
Harvest (2008)
BRAVO!! Harvest is a must see!!!
Man, I just took the most intense musical journey and ventured into another world, the world of this great band Psycho Key, the Caribbean and the challenges this Rasta farmer/musician had to face to earn some dough and make his dream a reality. It was not your everyday flick, yet had the same effect as any great film which manages to remove you from your life and sweep you away into a trance for an hour and a half, and leave you fully satisfied.
Let's start with the concept. I found it so creative how the Director managed to tell the story through both dialogue and song. This is a very artistic film, which had been recommended to me by a friend, so I wasn't expecting a Feature Drama with a thick plot. If you are expecting a mainstream film with and an intricate plot, you will likely be disappointed. I just took the ride, enjoyed the beautiful images, the colours and the sound and was enraptured by the finished product. I loved the fact that it was a simple story complimented by so many fantastic effects and dramatic visuals that it managed to grab me from the beginning to the end.
I thought the documentary/drama mix worked very well, and the actors were so convincing – well, of course they were, they were being themselves a lot of the time!! But they were definitely not conscious of the presence of the camera. I couldn't even guess how much was scripted and how much was improvised.
From watching the film, I got the fact that it had actually been designed to be performed on stage, which is so clever. It would have been great to have been at that concert. What was fantastic was that although I was watching two sets of performances, the ease with which the scenes changes from story to music didn't disrupt my viewing or interrupt the storyline.
I was fascinated to learn that the US army actually burns the marijuana fields. It was also interesting to see a weed planter portrayed as a peaceful farmer, rather than a rough dangerous criminal - the standard image of the druglords that is usually conveyed. I loved the club scene and got a great laugh at the twist at the end of the film when the US soldier is rescued by the main characters, the so-called 'criminals', who we love very much by the end of the film. And in their act of kindness, they spread peace and love, helping the soldier to live the peaceful life he really wanted. Oops, sorry if I am spoiling it for you!!
Why hadn't I heard of this band Psycho Key before? They are soooo cool. They mix Sitar, Rock and Reggae and the singer rocks!! This band is so unique. The songs are really catchy and the lyrics are very well written.
This is obviously a musician made film. I thought it was neat how their drummer was the principal actor and the Sitar player is the Director, Cinematographer, Editor.... He has much talent and really succeeded in making everything fit so well together. When you read the credits you see that Nicolas Jolliet did almost all the work with very minimal crew! Yet it didn't have a low budget feel to it. It's amazing what one man can produce and the quality he was able to achieve. I guess there wasn't much money to promote it. If it wasn't for my friend, I would never have known about the film, which would have been a shame. I am recommending this film to everyone, especially those who don't get a chance to travel much. You'll love this trip! And whether you are a weed smoker or not, you will get a great high off of this movie and have a gratifying and memorable experience. Three thumbs up!!