If you’re looking for a little movie magic at the cinema, Todd Haynes‘ “Wonderstruck” is arriving just in time. And the ambitious picture once again sees the director getting the Midas touch from Carter Burwell. The composer has previously worked with Haynes on “Carol,” “Velvet Goldmine,” and “Mildred Pierce,” and this time around he creates a lovely music box of sounds to accompany Haynes’ new movie.
Starring Julianne Moore, Oakes Fegley, Michelle Williams, Jaden Michael and Millicent Simmonds, “Wonderstruck” follows Ben and Rose, children from two different eras who secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known, while Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his home and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out on quests to find what they are missing, starting journies that unfold with mesmerizing symmetry.
READ MORE: Julianne Moore & Todd Haynes Talk The Magic Of ‘Wonderstruck’ [NYFF]
In crafting the score for the partially New York City set movie, Burwell took a fascinating approach. “I’m a New Yorker myself, so I’d love to think that the city affected this score, particularly since it is such a big part of the movie,” he explained. “Rose right from the beginning has her musical theme and Ben has his. Initially, we didn’t try to make those instruments specific to the period of time in which they’re living. They live 50 years apart, one in 1927 one in 1977. But in the end it settled into something like that where Ben’s world was more driven by guitars and synthesizers, and Rose’s world was more driven by acoustical instruments.”
Below you can hear our exclusive debut of “Dioramas” from the soundtrack, which will be available starting tomorrow via Lakeshore Records. [Photo by Benjamin Ealovega]