BFI | Sight & Sound | The Best Music in Film

The Best Music in Film

(Abouna)

S&S: What is your favourite film soundtrack music and why do you like it so much?: "My favourite film soundtrack music is Paris,Texas (1984), because of the melancholic and bluesy way Ry Cooder plays guitar...it makes me feel the soul of the earth, it makes me feel my own country: the desert, the naked landscape of Sahel...it makes me dream with images full of my head..."
S&S: In what ways does music best enhance a film?: "For me, music is very important. I think about it when I write the script. It's a part of the movie...so, we have to use it very carefully, as part of the story, and not only in a artificial way...Music must bring something more, something that you can't express only by images and words. It must let us feel the rhythm that the characters have inside themselves."
S&S: What is the most effective sequence of music in your own films?: "It's in Abouna (2002), when the two brothers are running. The music of Ali Farka Toure brings a touch of magic...to this very realistic scene."