Rörelser
Rebekka Karijord
" the palette is rooted in folk traditions "Written by Joep de Bruijn - Review of the download only release
Rörelser (Raptures, 2025) is a film set in a small religious community in Sweden in the 1930s. We follow a deeply religious family and watch as Thedor, the head of the family, becomes increasingly obsessed with improbable spiritual beliefs, forcing his family to join a cult, creating an imbalance within the family, and the mother (Rakel) quietly quietly fights the pernicious tenets of her husband and the cult.
In the aid of a film with its own, unsubtle language, there is the vigorous original score by Norwegian-born, Sweden-based composer Rebekka Karijord. Her music strikingly reflects the complexity of the matter at hand, starting with the choice of a sparse number of instruments; nyckelharpa, violin, cello, woodwind, double bass, pump organ, electric bass and noise.
At heart, the palette is rooted in folk traditions, alluding to the isolated cult and its rural period. It connects with the overall complexity of things, creating a very fitting contrast of reflective turmoil, dire and fractured ingredients against subdued traces of (deeply felt) pathos. At times it is deeply moving, yet varying in its degree of outspokenness, including beautiful musical folk performances, with elegant, sometimes experimental string performances. The recurring feel of discomfort is expressed by all instruments combined, in which individual instruments as the pump organ, nyckelharpa and noises being the most exemplary. At times, it sounds like a combination of drama, thriller and horror, as the film continues along a path that gains momentum towards the end, causing the experimental writing to become exponentially more dynamic.
Rebekka Karijord's music is particularly strong in how it reflects Rakel's inner, almost silent struggle as her husband draws her family deeper into a religious cult that is solemn, suffocating and evocative. If there is one cue that best reflects this, it is the slow, minimal and atmospheric ''Afterthoughts''.
The score to Rörelser was released digitally by OONA recordings, while the film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January.
Tracklist
1. Opening 1:22
2. Smoke 1:09
3. Rakel by the River 1:25
4. The First Sermon 1:38
5. Hope 2:15
6. The New Bible 0:56
7. Prayer 1:24
8. The Fall 2:17
9. The Winter 0:52
10. The Prophecy 2:00
11. Rakel's Choice 1:00
12. The Ark 0:54
13. Raptures 1:33
14. Rakel's Parents 1:07
15. Summer 1:44
16. Summer Night 1:28
17. The Sin 2:52
18. Broken Swing 1:34
19. Afterthought 2:31
Total duration; 30:01
(25-02-2025)
In the aid of a film with its own, unsubtle language, there is the vigorous original score by Norwegian-born, Sweden-based composer Rebekka Karijord. Her music strikingly reflects the complexity of the matter at hand, starting with the choice of a sparse number of instruments; nyckelharpa, violin, cello, woodwind, double bass, pump organ, electric bass and noise.
At heart, the palette is rooted in folk traditions, alluding to the isolated cult and its rural period. It connects with the overall complexity of things, creating a very fitting contrast of reflective turmoil, dire and fractured ingredients against subdued traces of (deeply felt) pathos. At times it is deeply moving, yet varying in its degree of outspokenness, including beautiful musical folk performances, with elegant, sometimes experimental string performances. The recurring feel of discomfort is expressed by all instruments combined, in which individual instruments as the pump organ, nyckelharpa and noises being the most exemplary. At times, it sounds like a combination of drama, thriller and horror, as the film continues along a path that gains momentum towards the end, causing the experimental writing to become exponentially more dynamic.
Rebekka Karijord's music is particularly strong in how it reflects Rakel's inner, almost silent struggle as her husband draws her family deeper into a religious cult that is solemn, suffocating and evocative. If there is one cue that best reflects this, it is the slow, minimal and atmospheric ''Afterthoughts''.
The score to Rörelser was released digitally by OONA recordings, while the film premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January.
Tracklist
1. Opening 1:22
2. Smoke 1:09
3. Rakel by the River 1:25
4. The First Sermon 1:38
5. Hope 2:15
6. The New Bible 0:56
7. Prayer 1:24
8. The Fall 2:17
9. The Winter 0:52
10. The Prophecy 2:00
11. Rakel's Choice 1:00
12. The Ark 0:54
13. Raptures 1:33
14. Rakel's Parents 1:07
15. Summer 1:44
16. Summer Night 1:28
17. The Sin 2:52
18. Broken Swing 1:34
19. Afterthought 2:31
Total duration; 30:01
(25-02-2025)