Philip Glass - The Music of Undertow (2023)

Undertow, set in an American South untouched by time, is a uniquely American dramatic thriller from director David Gordon Green starring Jamie Bell, Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney, and newcomer Devon Alan. A tale of violent legacies between two generations of brothers, Undertow depicts what happens when a hardworking father raising two sons without their mother is paid an unexpected visit by his older ex-convict brother who is looking to settle an old score.

The score, combining a crystalline string orchestration, the purity of the children's voices and the grittiness of the didgeridoo, creates the right mix of mystery, sensitivity and grunge that the film required. With its tonal complexity and intensity, Glass' score is as integral to the suspense-driven narrative as the expert character portrayal and masterful cinematic direction contained within the film.