Unexpected Encounters between Film and Music

Woonjii and Jayme are both performing vinyl-only DJ sets at the Festival Lounge. We invited them to re-score a film of their choice. 

Prompt: In response to the festival’s slogan, ‘Encounter the Unexpected’, share a film that recently exceeded your expectations and select three pieces of music as its film score. 

Woonjii: I loved the opening of 8½ (1963). Although Fellini uses a stable camera, its movement within the claustrophobic compartment creates a feeling of suffocation, which was very memorable. To this scene, I would add noise music, such as Ben Frost’s Threshold of Faith, Andy Stott’s Too Many Voices, and The Caretaker’s Everywhereat the End of Time (Stage 3).

JayMe: The recent release, The Sparring Partner (2022), exceeded my expectations. I loved its unusual conclusion and somewhat surrealist style. The British band Felt’s The Optimist and the Poet would be great for the opening of the film. The track is part of the album The Splendour of Fear, which has a dismembered woman on its cover that reminds me of the film’s key themes. Another track would be British female singer PJ Harvey’s Legs from the album Rid of Me. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who cut off her boyfriend’s legs. The third track would be Death is Not the End from the album Murder Ballads by Australian band Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, which is very fitting for the film’s ending.