The story of Toronto musician Harkness is an inspiration to dig up our childhood dreams and give them a chance
Director Maria Markina spent 5 years documenting Harkness as he tried to break into the music scene.
Stepping into Harkness's basement music studio for the first time was like stepping into Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory — not so much due to my host's choice of eccentric attire and odd headwear but rather because of the feeling of whimsy and wonderment that permeated the place.
Watch | Take a tour of Harkness's basement studio
Glow-in-the-dark guitar stands fashioned out of dollar-store swimming noodles cast a purple hue on the deep purple walls. Shark jaws covered in spiderwebs hung above the workstation buried under paper scraps with song ideas, chord transitions, album cover sketches and storyboards of what looked like an adult-only after-hours cooking show.
Needless to say, making a feature-length documentary about Harkness was a journey filled with just as much merriment and eccentric ingenuity.
A mysterious tunesmith clad in a purple gown and visor showed me his treasure trove of songs which, I thought, were on par with Beethoven's orchestrations and featured every musical instrument imaginable. After decades of hiding out in his state-of-the-art studio, financed entirely on his waiter's salary, Harkness was ready for a dazzling return to the live music scene and the last item on the agenda was to finish glueing Christmas lights to his black leather boots.
It was awe-inspiring to be in the company of a human being so utterly committed to his wildest dreams and determined to use his capabilities and ingenuity to make them a reality because defeat was not an option. Unfortunately, in modern society, achieving financial stability often means that we have to sacrifice our true aspirations for a stable paycheck. Most of us are so busy making ends meet between rent payments, that we sometimes don't even realize what it is we truly desire. But now and then we do meet an underdog who shows us that where "there is a will, there's a way" and encourages us to dig up our childhood dreams from under a pile of excuses and give them another chance.
When Harkness told me he was going to release his debut album and take a shot at breaking into stardom, I knew it was an opportunity to witness some of that unshakable self-belief in action because the road ahead would certainly have its share of obstacles.
Going into production, I had no expectations for where the story was going and, in all honesty, building the intrigue of how Harkness's adventure was going to end was never a priority. I was there to witness a fellow human navigate painful moments of failures, take genuine joy in the smallest victories, pick himself up in moments of weakness and sometimes get tripped up by his own overconfidence.
Watch | The official trailer for Harkness
Contemporary music documentaries often end up being controlled success stories devoid of bad publicity. I wanted to capture intimate, fleeting moments of genuine emotion, so I shot most of the film myself using a portable single camera. By shining the light on Harkness's flaws as well as strengths and documenting his mistakes alongside his breakthroughs, I was creating a film that would normalize getting lost in life's uncertainties, making wrong turns and failing as long as we stay true to ourselves.
During the five years of production, I watched Harkness wholeheartedly and eagerly offer his life's work to the public while often being met with indifference and misunderstanding. Although he mourned after especially heavy setbacks, he never let the pain of the past hold him back and always found the courage to pursue the opportunities ahead. Despite the lack of acknowledgement from the rest of the world about the righteousness of his choices, his faith in his music and the message behind it was his only true calling.
Over the course of getting the film off the ground, I ran into my own set of obstacles and, looking back, I know that I met Harkness at a perfect time in my artistic journey. The experience of working on my first feature film triggered numerous moments of self-doubt and anxiety in me. Not only did I have to convince others of my artistic capabilities, more often than not I had to persuade myself that I had what it takes to see the project through to the very end.
Working on the Harkness film gave me a front-row seat view to the life of a musician guided by unwavering artistic integrity and unshakable determination to live a life that makes the most sense to him even when it might not fit into the conventional version of a success story. And the experience of making this film has shaped me into an artist guided not by fears and insecurities but by faith in my authentic creative vision and capabilities independent of approval or recognition.
Watch | Harkness performs "All The Things You Are"
I hope that watching Harkness will give the audience a taste of life free of the limitations set by societal norms and encourage them to consider whether the life they're living is informed by their own vision of what a fulfilling life looks like.
Watch Harkness now streaming free on CBC Gem.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
