20 Days in Mariupol soundtrack
Ominous artwork for an ominous film…
Good day,
I feel more than lucky to have scored Mstyslav Chernov’s documentary 20 Days in Mariupol (watch the trailer here) for FRONTLINE/AP News which will air on PBS this fall. The soundtrack, which will premiere in tandem with the New York City screenings at Film Forum, will be released via all streaming platforms on Friday July 14. Al Jones, of friend of the label Laminal Audio, mastered the album, and was a great help in realizing the form, as well. The tracklisting for the score is as follows:
You Are Surrounded
Cold Opening
Desperation
The Baby Survived
The Last Firehouse Was Destroyed
Civilians Are Dying
Flatlining
Black Body Bags
News Finally Gets Out
The Darkest Basement
Devastation Everywhere
Finally, I am humbled that some reviews have mentioned the score, with such writing as:
“The raw footage is largely unembellished, save for Jordan Dykstra’s eerie electronic music score that could easily be appropriated for a horror film (which, of course, 20 Days in Mariupol is, of a sort).”
(Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter, January 20, 2023)
“This is bleak but essential viewing, deftly edited by Chernov, video technology rendering his camerawork discomfitingly bright and sharp where not long ago we might have been spared a degree of horror by lesser image clarity. Adding discreet notes of suspense is Jordan Dykstra’s original score. Structured by onscreen markers of the days passed, this nonfiction feature may not have a simple narrative arc, but the director’s unpretentious first-person narration and the intensity of the war-crimes evidence compiled make it riveting nonetheless.”
(Dennis Harvey, Variety, January 21, 2023)
“Of course it wasn't only the editing, but the score is something to behold. Scored akin to a horror film 20 Days in Mariupol is full of low thumping bass, dissonance, and a low persistent, pervasive presence of dread. It has ambient elements to it that stick with you, increase your heart rate and remind you that this is something that happened only a year ago and is actually still happening today. To avoid hyperbole I'll just say I really mean this, this was one of the best scores I've heard thus far this year. The movie does not work to the same degree without it. 20 Days in Mariupol is elevated to another level of storytelling and empathetic output due to it and I commend Jordan Dykstra on his work!”
(Isaac P. Ale, Film & Froth, May 14, 2023)
“…his grim narration that, almost diary-like, details his experiences with Michelle Mizner’s superb editing and makes us feel his fears. And also tells the motivations; Jordan Dykstra’s unsettling score completes the nightmare..“
(Nation World News, April 28, 2023)
“Chernov frequently blurs the most severe injuries, but it’s the puddles of blood, dead animals and lifeless limbs half-buried by rubble that indicate the sheer scale of suffering in Mariupol. His jarringly stoic narration and haunting original music by Jordan Dykstra add to the sense that, in Mariupol, nothing is left. This is not a film about President Zelensky’s Churchillian leadership or the heroism of first responders (though if you look, there is some of that).”
(Adam Solomons, IndieWire, January 20, 2023)
For now,
Jordan