Of all the exceptional performances across categories in the Oscar-nominated films this year, there has been one standout presence that marks the 94th ceremony in March 2022 differently than its preceding years: Music.
Granted, the Academy Awards already have specific categories to laud the scores, songs, and sounds that have performed superlatively. Yet the music from most of 2021’s feted films have been such an intrinsic part of the narrative that they have almost been a character of their own.
To start with, this has been a fantastic year for musicals. Be it adapted versions or absolute originals, the likes of West Side Story, Tick Tick...Boom!, and Encanto have put their music at the centre of their storytelling. Although a lot was riding on Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, in terms of greater recall value, the film falls short. This, despite, it being a remake of a legendary classic whose music was timeless.
Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his feature film directorial debut with Tick, Tick...Boom! whose song '30/90' stays with you long after the film is over. Andrew Garfield voices Jonathan Larson’s parts though it is not surprising that Vanessa Hudgens’ [who plays his friend Karessa Johnson] is the evocative voice of the musical. Miranda has already established what an auteur he is of the musical genre both on stage and on the big screen.
His genius permeates through the soundtrack of another film this year: Encanto. Although Germaine Franco has scored the film, scriptwriter and co-creator Lin-Manuel Miranda has also written eight original songs in this magic realism recreation of Colombia on screen. Songs like 'We Don’t Talk About Bruno' and 'Surface Pressure' really touched a chord beyond their melody, reaching out to our emotions in ways we still find hard to comprehend. It seems like it would have been a tough choice for the crew who have bet on 'Dos Oruguitas' over the others to win in the Best Original Song category.
Then there is Apple TV+’s CODA, a delightful coming-of-age comedy-drama featuring Emilia Jones, who is a child of deaf adults with dreams of training at the Berklee College of Music. Composer Marius de Vries has put together a soundtrack that spans Etta James, The Clash, David Bowie, and Marvin Gaye to recreate the cultural milieu of the film but it is in Emilia Jones’ 'I’ve Got the Music in Me' and 'You’re All I Need to Get By' that we really feel a part of her struggles and emotions.
Another film, that is not a musical despite being held together by its tunes, is The Eyes of Tammy Faye. This biographical drama traces the humble beginnings of televangelist Tammy Faye Baker [Jessica Chastain] and her husband Jim Baker [played by Andrew Garfield], with music composed by Theodore Shapiro. Chastain has sung almost all of Faye’s songs, and at no point does it feel like an overdose. Shapiro has intelligently interspersed the foot-tapping with the soulful to transport us to an era when faith would trend on television.
While these films have music as a part of their theme and motifs, there are others who have little to do with the tunes but everything to do with how beneficial a good melody can be.
Hans Zimmer’s extraordinary work in Dune makes him a lead contender in the Best Original Score category. And for good reason. The extent to which Zimmer has gone to create a unique intergalactic soundscape resonates through the film — where instruments both old and new have contributed to interpreting a new world order. 'Ripples in the Sand' and 'Bene Gesserit' are rousing, thought-provoking, and reflective of the personal turmoil the characters undergo.
Who can forget the opening strains of The Power of the Dog where Jonny Greenwood successfully entrenches us in the action set in 1925 Montana. The decision to go for atonal brass sounds over the typical Western feel of strings has paid off well, and we are richer for it.
Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast is a little boy’s view of the big adult world The Troubles in 1969 Northern Ireland. His decision to rope in Irish rock legend Van Morrison to oversee the film’s music has paid rich dividends, as Morrison’s 'Down to Joy' has been nominated in the Best Original Song category. Harnessing the rock-n-roll sound of the era, Morrison sets the boy’s childhood to an unforgettable soundtrack.
Films like Cruella and Don't Look Up too have scores and soundtracks that most effectively carry their stories forward, even as their track listing features rock numbers from the past. The common thread in both films is Nicholas Britell, who we all know as the gifted composer of HBO’s Succession theme song. The Cruella theme song is a far more compelling song than that of Don’t Look Up though the latter has a better selection of ensemble songs. Both films have setlists that ooze spunk and a devil-may-care attitude, making them superb albums to listen to in the absence of the films as well.
Beyonce’s 'Be Alive' for King Richard and Billie Eilish’s 'No Time to Die' from the Bond flick of the same name are among those nominated in the Best Original Song category though Eilish seems to edge Queen Bey out with her noir vocal nonchalance.
A combination of ethereal scores, great original music, and smart soundtracks has made even the non-musicals such effective movies. Add to it Summer of Soul, the documentary widely projected as winning top honours in its category this year. Covering the Harlem music festival that was overshadowed by Woodstock, this is a soulful experience that rounds up what a mammoth year we have had of melodies in movies.
Oscars 2022 will take place on 28 March.
Senior journalist Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri has spent a good part of two decades chronicling the arts, culture and lifestyles.
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