Instruments of a Beating Heart

In “Instruments of a Beating Heart,” first graders in a Tokyo public elementary school are presented with a challenge for the final semester: to form an orchestra and perform “Ode to Joy” at a school ceremony. Ayame, a student who often struggles to keep up with the group, is determined to play a major part: the big drum. The film examines the Japanese educational system’s tenuous balance between collective cooperation and individual growth as it teaches the next generation to become part of society.