Julia Ducournau Reunites with ‘Raw’ Composer for Pulsating ‘Titane’ Score — Exclusive First Listen
Zack Sharf
The U.S. release of Julia Ducournau‘s historic Palme d’Or winner “Titane” is right around the corner, and IndieWire is marking the occasion by exclusively premiering the first track from Jim Williams’ wild original score. “Titane” reunites Ducournau and Williams after their breakthrough work on the filmmaker’s feature directorial debut “Raw.” The first track released from the “Titane” score is the main theme “Sarabande,” an ominous, pulsating piece of music that’s indicative of the darkly foreboding quality of Ducournau’s vision.
“The score for ‘Titane’ grows from a short theme for a scene where the protagonist leaves home in startling circumstances,” Williams said in a statement. “Initially in a contemporary popular music style with a tinge of John Barry, later this was set with metal percussion and male voice choir using the Neapolitan Minor for a scene set in a car. As the film develops the theme takes on an emotional, darker twist.”
Williams continued, “The main theme for the film [‘Sarabande’] is finally set in a Baroque style – a sarabande – that at first has the pomp of George Frideric Handel, but that later becomes tender, if rather twisted.”
Also included within the 18-track “Titane” original score album is singer Lisa Abbott’s rendition of the folk classic “Wayfaring Stranger,” as well as two additional tracks by “Titane” sound supervisor Séverin Favriau. Milan Records is releasing the film’s soundtrack on October 1, but the album will be available for pre-order/pre-save beginning Friday, September 24.
In his A- review for “Titane” out of Cannes, IndieWire chief critic David Ehrlich called the movie “one of the wildest movies” to ever play at the festival. “Following the cannibalistic ‘Raw’ with another ravenous film that pushes her fascination with the hunger and malleability of human flesh to even further extremes, Ducournau has made good on the promise of her debut and then some,” he wrote. “Whatever you’re willing to take from it, there’s no denying that ‘Titane’ is the work of a demented visionary in full command of her wild mind; a shimmering aria of fire and metal that introduces itself as the psychopathic lovechild of David Cronenberg’s ‘Crash’ and Shinya Tsukamoto’s ‘Tetsuo: The Iron Man’ before shapeshifting into a modern fable about how badly people just need someone to take care of them and vice-versa.”
Neon is set to open “Titane” in theaters October 1. Listen to the first track off the official soundtrack below.
