Premiere: A Taste Of Mica Levi’s Otherworldly ‘Monos’ Score

Mike Wass | September 13, 2019 12:01 pm

Alejandro Landes’ Monos is a wholly unique cinematic experience. A tale of teen soldiers (and a cow named Shakira) encamped atop a mountain in a remote nook of Latin America, the film seemingly occurs outside the bounds of time and place. We’re not sure which decade it is or exactly what country they are in, but every emotion that surges through the young cast is effortlessly conveyed by brilliant, largely amateur, actors and Mica Levi’s incredible score. In some ways, this picks up where her influential score for Under The Skin left off. And then descends even further into otherworldly tones.

“The key to the music was about creating character,” Landes explains. “The main musical characters are two epic whistles, made by Mica by blowing into empty bottles in her apartment. The first is an authority whistle, which is shrill and always the same. It evokes the presence of The Organization. The other is a bird-like whistle which speaks to the bond between the kids; it starts raw and gets more melodic as the film progresses.” Both sounds are on display in a training montage, which we are excited to premiere.

Soak up a snippet of Mica Levin’s magnificent score below. Monos is in theaters today (September 13) and it is essential viewing.

Do you love the score? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!

Tags: ,