Only God Forgives
Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Produced by: Lene Borglum
Written by: Niccolas Winding Refn
Vithaya Pansringarm
Kristin Scott Thomas
Music By: Cliff Martinez
Cinematography: Larry Smith
Editing by:
Mathew Newman
FilmDistrict
Gaumont
Release date: 2013
The film, is about young man’s (Juilian) brother Billy is
beaten to death because of his actions. Billy rapes and kills an under-age prostitute
and as a result, is beaten to death. The movie then follows Julian through his
journey as he attempts to avenge his brother.
Cliff Martinez composed the score for the film
Only God forgives” with the
help
from Gregory Tripi and Mac Quayle.The mood of the score is created by the
chosen instruments that include: twanging guitar, brass, relentless
rainy-season percussion similar to Japanese Taiko drumming and pizzicato
strings. the composer recreates a Thai
pop style, and the metallophone tones of Indonesian gamelan in this score.
The score for the opening title immediately
establishes the main theme through submarine-deep thuds, brass gurgles, and
tympanum thunder. This then leads into the second track "Ask Him Why He
Killed My Brother," on the soundtrack compiled of gongs, chimes, strings
and timbres. “Sister Part 1”, immediately delivers a gorgeous, calm and surreal
feeling. “Wanna fight” is made from
anxious synth arpeggios mixed with pipe organs and a guitar line that seems to
reverberate from a chasm.
“Do as Thou Will”, gives an almost intimidating
feel. The strings and brass instruments deliver a shaky and dark theme. On
"Ladies Close Your Eyes," the drums are featured, though this time the plucked strings turn
harrowing, scraping and shrieking. That skin-flaying sound soon disappears into
a daydream through gongs and chimes for the track's latter half.
"Can't Forget” consists of
instruments such as a rolling piano, and woodblock clops accompany actor
Vithaya Pansringarm's turn on the stately ballad. The vocalist in the song, is
one of the biggest factors that give the track a Thaienese feel to it. All the
strings and silken guitar lines of the "Falling in Love” track, draw closer to the extravagant Chinese pop
than more rustic Thai molam.
But while the latter drifted through
dark ambience, the violence of title sequence was refined by the cristal
baschet's sublime timbres; this score merges the brutal and
blissful hayness throughout the films. The theme of anxiousness and violence
that the score evokes lead into a graceful closer "You're My Dream,"
those rhythms now transformed into
gentle tympani and a Thai lullaby. It provides a classic happy ending to a film
that is anything but this, a well-scored movie indeed.
