Under the Skin

Mica Levi's score uses detuned strings and slowed glissandi that read as physically wrong rather than merely eerie. Documentary-style hidden camera footage is unified with formal set pieces largely by the sound. The black void sequences have no realistic acoustic reference, so the music defines the space entirely. It is the clearest recent case of a composer setting the terms of a film. Levi, working outside a traditional film composition background, deliberately avoided conventional orchestration techniques, tuning strings slightly off from standard pitch so the score would feel alien rather than merely tense, a decision Glazer supported before much of the picture was even locked. Because large sections of the film were shot guerrilla style with hidden cameras and unwitting participants, the score is also what retroactively unifies documentary texture with the constructed void sequences, proving that a composer can function as the primary continuity device across radically different shooting methods within one film.

What to watch for

Watch the void sequences and consider how much of the environment exists only in the score.

Find it on Amazon

Affiliate links.

This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Affiliate disclosure. Links on this page are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Occupy Cinema earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Read the full policy.