The Devil's Harmony

A story of revenge , reminding, in a sense, the myth of Orpheus. Beautiful photography, wise storytelling, mix of horror, musical, romance and dark comedy, its basic virtue is the seductive acing ofPatsy Ferran.

At a British school, the sporting types have all started to fall into some form of permanent sleep - probably nothing to do with the nerdy acapella-singing Kiera, who has been bullied by them for years.

Drawing on classic 'high school' tropes of nerds and jocks, this British film produces a very enjoyable twist on the genre while still being part of it. The way the film sets a tone is effective; it uses top-down shots of prone figures to create an unsettling atmosphere, which it then maintains even while adding dry comedy and fantasy elements into the mix. There are vibes of Children of the Corn and other classic horrors, and it delivers all these different aspects well in a neat package which manages to be creepy, familiar, and funny all at the same time. One of the main selling points is the production design as a whole, as it sets a tone, looks slightly 'off', and manages to spread that feeling across costumes, sound, and all small aspects. The performances get the tone right, in particular the lead of Patsy Ferran (who it took me a second to realize, but a lot of the UK had just seen her in the NT Live free stream of Treasure Island).

Offbeat but yet fitting well into a genre, The Devil's Harmony is enjoyably odd.