Film and TV
Call Me By Your Name (2017) Sufjan Stevens’ ‘Mystery of Love’ for Call Me By Your Name (2017) freezes audiences in a humid time capsule of summer nostalgia. ‘Mystery Of Love’ begins playing on a creaking bus as lovers Elio and Oliver pull away from the watchful eye of family and friends on their travels; subtly transcending the two from a place of caution to a space of freedom and acceptance. Accompanying a tranquil yet invigorating montage of Elio and Oliver during their travels, Stevens’ score captures the softness of late summer through calm acoustics of whispering lyrics and mellow mandarin. The wonders and vulnerability of first love are translated through Stevens’ probing lyrics, expressing both euphoria and nostalgia, leaving audiences both mourning and yearning for a love they have not experienced. Stevens’ poetry is perfectly framed in the final line of the score; ‘Oh, will wonders ever cease? Blessed be the mystery of love’ – here, the notion that love is never something to regret, but is always something to celebrate, is expressed. The soft yet stinging acoustics, thoughtfully set alongside panning shots of the rolling Italian countryside, beautifully transcend the travel montage into a poetic and bittersweet depiction of lost summer love.
17 (500) Days of Summer (2009) Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer aesthetically whirls in the glory of summertime love. It is reminiscent of a time gone by and the music of the film encapsulates these sensations in unprecedented ways. It captures the laid-back mood of the film, augmenting the high and lows of Tom and Summer’s 500 days together. Midway through the film, in one of the most iconic scenes, Daryl Hall and John Oates’s ‘’You Make My Dreams Come True’’ punctuates Tom’s joyful attitude after his night with Summer. The choreography of the scene, his interaction with others in the park, and the miniature animated animals add the muchneeded uniqueness that it requires. It is as breezy as a warm summer day. The music in the film is so consistent that it is almost elevated to the status of another character in the film. Take Regina Spektor’s quirky “Us” for instance, which fills our screens with Spektor’s light and airy vocals. Like every summer, the song takes you on a ride, promising you an unconventional story of love and friendship. This thoughtfully put-together soundtrack makes me want to close my eyes and take in whatever summer wants to offer. We all know it won’t last forever. By Zainab Javed
By Ella Dorman Luca (2021) Everything about Pixar’s Luca screams summer, and it’s only fitting that it’s featured here. The soundtrack immediately transports you to the Italian Riviera, more specifically Cinque Terre, which inspired much of the films’ production design. Just like the three characters in the film, Luca, Alberto, and their newfound friend Giulia, the soundtrack is full of childlike whimsy, wonder, and playful energy, likely partly due to the film being inspired by director Enrico Casarosa’s childhood. All it took was, as stated in Variety’s article on composer Dan Romer’s lush score, “a bit of accordion, a little mandolin, a lot of acoustic guitar and pizzicato strings”. “Walking Is Just Like Swimming”, which starts playing during the scene when Luca first steps ashore and learns to get used to his new human legs, encapsulates this perfectly. The hilarity that ensues in the scene makes this the perfect accompaniment and expresses Luca’s joy at this new world above the water. It also marks the point where he befriends Alberto – who later becomes almost a friend-for-life. If listening to this score doesn’t make you feel pure jubilation, I don’t know what will. By Pui Kuan Cheah
Design by: Annabelle Ingram
