Harmonium

An old acquaintance, Yasaka, arrives to assist at Toshio's garage-based machine shop, disturbing the family's routine. Yasaka has just been released from prison and seeks a place to stay and work. The quiet domestic life begins to tilt as a new, unsettled presence moves in.

Yasaka discloses that he spent eleven years in prison for murder and asks for forgiveness for not telling sooner. He gradually becomes a bigger part of the family, particularly bonding with Hotaru through music and help around the house. This new closeness plants the seeds of trust and tension.

Yasaka and Akie begin to feel romantic pull toward each other, and they kiss on several occasions. The evolving attraction creates a dangerous undercurrent in the household. Toshio remains oblivious at first, adding to the strain in the family dynamic.

The family goes on a river trip, during which Toshio becomes increasingly suspicious of Yasaka's closeness to Akie and Hotaru. The trip reveals the undercurrents in the relationships and foreshadows later conflicts. The outdoor setting amplifies the emotional tensions.

The film reveals Yasaka's bitterness about taking the blame for the murder, a crime in which Toshio participated. This memory adds moral ambiguity and distrust among the adults. The revelation deepens the potential for tragedy within the family.

At a pivotal moment, Toshio removes his white clothes to reveal a red shirt, a visual cue that marks a shift in his demeanor for the rest of the film. The color change hints at escalating tension and potential violence. The domestic calm begins to unravel under this new sign.

While Toshio is away, Yasaka oversteps his bounds and attempts to have sex with Akie. She pushes him away firmly, resisting the invasion of boundaries. The incident heightens the danger Yasaka represents and strains the fragile family trust.

Later, Yasaka goes for a walk and unexpectedly encounters Hotaru. The encounter foreshadows the later crisis and shifts the emotional balance of the household. The distance between the family members becomes even more precarious.

Toshio returns to find Hotaru injured and unresponsive, with Yasaka standing over her and shouting Toshio's name. Toshio remains preoccupied with his daughter and does not respond to Yasaka's presence. Yasaka then walks away and disappears, leaving a haunting stain on the family.

Toshio hires Takashi as a new assistant, a young man raised by a single mother who shows interest in Hotaru by sketching her. The household's dynamics have shifted with time, and Hotaru is now disabled, adding new complexity. The arrival of Takashi introduces fresh secrets and tensions.

Takashi confides separately to Toshio and Akie that he is Yasaka's illegitimate son and that Yasaka was a yakuza. He explains he sought employment with Toshio thanks to letters Yasaka had sent to his mother. The revelations deepen the web of family secrets around all characters.

Akie confronts Toshio about his involvement in the murder; he admits that he helped hold the victim down while Yasaka strangled him. The admission shatters any remaining pretense of innocence and redefines loyalties within the family. The moral weight of past acts drains the present tense from the household.

Toshio and Akie receive a tip that ostensibly locates Yasaka and decide to confront him, hoping to do so in his father's presence. They bring Takashi along, who offers to be sacrificed in their plan, but they reject the gesture. The misdirected tip foreshadows how fragile their pursuit is and how little control they have left.

Akie takes Hotaru to a bridge, and Akie imagines Yasaka smiling at her from there. She jumps into the water with Hotaru, but Toshio pulls Akie out unconscious while Takashi also pulls Hotaru out, both of them unconscious along the riverbank. The immediate family disaster reveals how far the situation has spiraled.

Akie regains consciousness, and Toshio frantically tries to resuscitate Hotaru, but their fates remain unresolved. Takashi's status and Hotaru's condition linger in uncertainty as the screen cuts away. The film ends on an uneasy note about what remains after such betrayals and loss.