Malos Hábitos
Daniele Luppi
" Luppi's writing is to keep it simple but to instil the music with an emotional complexity "Written by Alan Rogers - Review of the download only release
Malos Hábitos (aka Bad Habits) is a 2007 film from Mexico notable for being Simón Bross' directorial debut. Originally a successful director of commercials in Mexico, Bross skilfully brings to the screen a harrowing story centred around a family's obsession with food, particularly focusing on Elena, an anorexic mother who punishes her plump daughter for being fat. Elena's husband is turned off by his wife's thinness and seeks solace in the arms of a student who enjoys her food and sex, sometimes, both together time. To complicate matters, the plump daughter's communion is approaching and one of the nun's of the local church also has food issues. Matilde is a nun who, believes that when she was a child she saved the life of her father by reciting the Lord's Prayer when he choked on some food at a family gathering. She feels that by starving herself or only eating disgusting food she can cure the sick and stop the incessant rain that's causing floods and leading to the death of hundreds of Mexico City inhabitants. Bross and co-writer Ernesto Anaya interweave these various threads into a chronicle that is both melancholic and gloomy, an over-riding mood that's perpetuated by the relentless rain featured throughout the film.
Composer Daniele Luppi was tasked with scoring this feature and everything that I read about Luppi, together with director Bross' commercials background did nothing to prepare me for the score for Malos Hábitos. Luppi has constructed a score that mirrors the melancholia and gloominess on-screen, using the barest of instrumentation: solo piano supported by low register strings. Three or four thematic ideas are used time and time again to reinforce the overall feel of a scene just as much as to represent the characters. Bedded in the simple, sometimes off-kilter piano lines, in only a couple of situations does the score rise above the gloominess: firstly, although still featuring solo piano, “Gordibuena” (and its variations) features a lighter theme (with piano being doubled with tinkling celeste) and is heard when Elena's husband escapes to the arms of his student lover (and the associated enjoyment of food). The second occasion when the gloominess lifts is when we see Matilde eating scraps from bins or eating food to which she has added excessive amounts of salt to make it inedible. Here the score aches with a large string section, sounding almost religious as Matilde pays penance, punishing herself so that others may benefit. Luppi's writing on the one hand keeps it simple but at the same time instills the music with an emotional complexity.
I mentioned earlier that I was not prepared to hear such a score from Luppi. Why? Luppi came to prominence in 2004 with a debut album – “An Italian Story” - that featured tracks influenced by the soundtracks of the swinging Italian films of the '60s and '70s. More recently, Luppi has worked with a number of contemporary musicians including John Legend and is set to co-produce an album with producer Danger Mouse (who has worked with musicians such as Jay-Z, Cee Lo Green and Beck) for release towards the middle of 2011. I was expecting to hear something a bit more upbeat. But having now seen the movie, an upbeat score would have been wholly inappropriate. Luppi supports the movie very well, adding a dimension to what is a very strong film – I was drawn into the film even though there were no subtitles to the foreign language film. In a sense both the visuals and the music provide the dialogue, the emotion. The score, released on the Ipecac Records label towards the end of April 2011, certainly benefits from having a knowledge of the movie as it places Daniele Luppi's music in context: it's not a particularly feel good listen in isolation and can seem a bit repetitive as it features several reprises of themes with only slight variations in orchestration, but listening to it again after having seen the film I can better understand the composer's ideas. I would certainly recommend Malos Hábitos and would encourage people to hunt out the movie to fully appreciate Luppi's music.
Tracklisting
1. Despues del Desamor (0.59)
2. Titulos (Primer Milagro) (1.03)
3. Gordibuena (1.24)
4. Lluvia (2.01)
5. Malas Noticias (2.08)
6. Flan Paraiso (0.51)
7. Primera y Segunda Penitencia (1.05)
8. Gordibuena (Amor Despues del Desamor) (1.45)
9. Tercera Penitencia (1.22)
10. La Lluvia No Para (1.44)
11. Casarse Con Dios (1.17)
12. Cuarta Penitencia y Segundo Milagro (2.12)
13. Gordibuena (Reprise) (1.24)
14. Cumpil (1.08)
15. Comunion (2.16)
16. Malas Noticias (Reprise) (2.53)
17. Quinta Penitencia (1.04)
18. Gordibuena (2nd Reprise) (1.44)
19. Titulos (Ultimo Milagro) (2.15)
20. Gordibuena (Piano Solo) (2.05)
Total Length: 32.50
Composer Daniele Luppi was tasked with scoring this feature and everything that I read about Luppi, together with director Bross' commercials background did nothing to prepare me for the score for Malos Hábitos. Luppi has constructed a score that mirrors the melancholia and gloominess on-screen, using the barest of instrumentation: solo piano supported by low register strings. Three or four thematic ideas are used time and time again to reinforce the overall feel of a scene just as much as to represent the characters. Bedded in the simple, sometimes off-kilter piano lines, in only a couple of situations does the score rise above the gloominess: firstly, although still featuring solo piano, “Gordibuena” (and its variations) features a lighter theme (with piano being doubled with tinkling celeste) and is heard when Elena's husband escapes to the arms of his student lover (and the associated enjoyment of food). The second occasion when the gloominess lifts is when we see Matilde eating scraps from bins or eating food to which she has added excessive amounts of salt to make it inedible. Here the score aches with a large string section, sounding almost religious as Matilde pays penance, punishing herself so that others may benefit. Luppi's writing on the one hand keeps it simple but at the same time instills the music with an emotional complexity.
I mentioned earlier that I was not prepared to hear such a score from Luppi. Why? Luppi came to prominence in 2004 with a debut album – “An Italian Story” - that featured tracks influenced by the soundtracks of the swinging Italian films of the '60s and '70s. More recently, Luppi has worked with a number of contemporary musicians including John Legend and is set to co-produce an album with producer Danger Mouse (who has worked with musicians such as Jay-Z, Cee Lo Green and Beck) for release towards the middle of 2011. I was expecting to hear something a bit more upbeat. But having now seen the movie, an upbeat score would have been wholly inappropriate. Luppi supports the movie very well, adding a dimension to what is a very strong film – I was drawn into the film even though there were no subtitles to the foreign language film. In a sense both the visuals and the music provide the dialogue, the emotion. The score, released on the Ipecac Records label towards the end of April 2011, certainly benefits from having a knowledge of the movie as it places Daniele Luppi's music in context: it's not a particularly feel good listen in isolation and can seem a bit repetitive as it features several reprises of themes with only slight variations in orchestration, but listening to it again after having seen the film I can better understand the composer's ideas. I would certainly recommend Malos Hábitos and would encourage people to hunt out the movie to fully appreciate Luppi's music.
Tracklisting
1. Despues del Desamor (0.59)
2. Titulos (Primer Milagro) (1.03)
3. Gordibuena (1.24)
4. Lluvia (2.01)
5. Malas Noticias (2.08)
6. Flan Paraiso (0.51)
7. Primera y Segunda Penitencia (1.05)
8. Gordibuena (Amor Despues del Desamor) (1.45)
9. Tercera Penitencia (1.22)
10. La Lluvia No Para (1.44)
11. Casarse Con Dios (1.17)
12. Cuarta Penitencia y Segundo Milagro (2.12)
13. Gordibuena (Reprise) (1.24)
14. Cumpil (1.08)
15. Comunion (2.16)
16. Malas Noticias (Reprise) (2.53)
17. Quinta Penitencia (1.04)
18. Gordibuena (2nd Reprise) (1.44)
19. Titulos (Ultimo Milagro) (2.15)
20. Gordibuena (Piano Solo) (2.05)
Total Length: 32.50