Thursday Token Themes

Welcome a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. I’m a hugely enthusiastic fan of film scores, and music is far too often an element of cinema that goes unrecognized. Therefore I present a platform for a look – or rather, a listen – to some fantastic film scores. I’ll be selecting a composer and one or more of their film scores for your listening pleasure, embedded from YouTube.

This week’s featured composer is Gustavo Santaolalla. The Argentinean musician frequently collaborates with director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and all of his compositions are devastating and moving. Since there are only a few, I’ve included two tracks from several selections. The score for “Biutiful” sets a tone of sadness for its powerful, dreary story. The instrumental, Oscar-winning rendition for “Babel” shapes and defines the many miscommunications that occur throughout the course of the film. The stirring soundtrack for “North Country” is melancholy but determined, symbolic of the state of the characters in the film. No matter if you loved “Brokeback Mountain” or hated it, it’s hard not to be moved by the sweet and sentimental score. For me, the deeply serious, sober theme to “21 Grams” made the experience of a terrific, heart-wrenching film.

Biutiful (2010)



Babel (2006)



North Country (2005)





Brokeback Mountain (2005)



21 Grams (2003)