Review of Harold and Maude (1971) by Ivan D — 26 May 2010

Sincere love story breathing underneath the film's weird and absurdist characterizations. Harold(Bud Cort, with facial similarities to "The Tin Drum's" protagonist) is obsessed and seems like enjoying a current fetish about death(suicide to be exact) and the different variations of doing it.

Maude, on the other hand, seems like the ultimate contrast to Harold's pessimistic mindset, values life. If not considering their age difference, they're still total misfits as lovers, yet they have formed an unconditional bond.

And in one heartfelt scene among the craziness of it all, there revealed Harold's reason of his inclination about death, and it proved to be just superficial. Hal Ashby has created a film that proved to know what mood to take the audiences to.

It can be those reckless short adventures by the two eponymous characters, yet it can automatically switch to the reflective scenes of true emotions. And along these shifts of tones, is the darkly humorous in-between scenes of Harold and his disastrous acquaintances with his computer dates.

In the end, Harold and Maude may look very awkward together as a couple, and his mother may think its just one of her son's sudden lapses of sanity, but it was Maude that has gave him his much-needed realignment with the order of life.