Acclaimed Upcoming Film "A Better Life" (Summit Entertainment) Was
Directed By Oscar-Nominated Director Chris Weitz ("The Twilight Saga",
"American Pie", "About A Boy"); It Opens In Select Markets On June 24th
Nacional Records Will Be Releasing The Film's Score On June 21st;
Composed By Four-Time Oscar Nominee Alexandre Desplat ("Twilight: New
Moon", "The King's Speech", "Fantastic Mr. Fox")
The Score For "A Better Life" Also Features A New Original Ozomatli
Track Entitled "Jardinero"; The Song Was Inspired By The Film's Main
Storyline Between Undocumented Immigrant Carlos (Mexican Actor Demián
Bichir) And His Teenage Son, Luis (José Julián)
"This year's Oscars weren't even two weeks ago and already we could
have an awards contender on our hands for next year… A Better Life." – ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Nacional Records is proud to announce the June 21st release of the
score to the upcoming film "A Better Life." The score was composed by
four-time Oscar nominee Alexandre Desplat ("Twilight: New Moon", "The
King's Speech", "Fantastic Mr. Fox"). It also features the new original
Ozomatli track "Jardinero," written specifically for the film. The music
supervisor for "A Better Life" was the influential tastemaker Alexandra
Patsavas.
"A Better Life" (Summit Entertainment) looks at the relationship
between undocumented immigrant Carlos Galindo (Mexican actor Demián
Bichir) and his teenage son, Luis (José Julián). The single father
struggles to keep his son away from pervasive gang culture. When Carlos'
truck is stolen, the father is powerless to turn to law enforcement,
but the crisis brings him closer to his potentially wayward son.
The film "A Better Life" will open in select markets on June 24th.
It was directed by acclaimed Oscar-nominated director Chris Weitz ("The
Twilight Saga", "American Pie", "About A Boy", etc). Weitz is a longtime
Ozomatli fan and was determined to approach the Los Angeles-based band
about writing a new song for the film. The three-time GRAMMY winning band are also official cultural ambassadors to the U.S. State Department.
"Ozomatli is the quintessential Angeleno band — multiethnic,
polyphonic, polyrhythmic," Weitz says. "And that's why they're also
cultural ambassadors abroad — they find universality in mixing the
particulars of all of their backgrounds. And as regards the story of A
Better Life, they just got it from the word go. They're one of the few
bands in the world you could talk about "sociologically" — they were
born out of a social equality movement — so it's hard to think of
anybody who'd be better for this film."
After watching the film, Ozomatli knew they had to get involved.
"The film starts with a simplistic view of immigrant life and blossoms
into a complex demonstration of what it takes to survive in this modern
world," says Ozomatli vocalist Raul Pacheco. "A world where opportunity
for work is scarce and must be created by the ever present pressure to
provide food, clothing and shelter for one's self and family. It really
resonated for the whole band."
The members of Ozomatli, many whom are children of immigrants,
identified with the struggles of the film's characters and were able to
communicate that through their song "Jardinero." "When Chris Weitz
approached us about the film, he said they were looking for a song that
was melancholy in flow and tempo that would really represent the feeling
of the movie," says Ozomatli bassist Wildog Abers. "When writing the
song, we approached it as if we were the actual characters in the film."
When it came to the score, Weitz wanted compositions that hinted at
the simplicity of the neo-realist films that served as early inspiration
in the film's design. He turned to a former collaborator and friend,
composer and four-time Oscar-nominee Alexandre Desplat. "Alexandre is
marvelous at moving from very intimate themes — like the mandolin piece
that opens the movie — to more sweeping, romantic colors, like the
powerful, big-orchestral theme that brings the film home."
"When it was time to work on the score, Alexandre was coming off the
rigors of scoring Harry Potter. We had about a month to go from concept
to recording with the London Symphony Orchestra," recalls Weitz. "I
knew that our communication would be vastly improved if I moved my
family to Paris for a month. So I took that bold step. Alexandre and I
sat in his studio practically every day and Alexandre heroically
produced what I think is one of his most beautiful scores."
Weitz goes on to say, "We would sit in Alexandre's study in
Montparnasse and talk through the cues, Alexandre drinking green tea and
I espresso in great quantities. Gradually, themes took form and were
shipped off to the orchestrators. The final cue was hashed out in a late
night session two days before we hit Abbey Road."
Acclaimed Upcoming Film "A Better Life" (Summit Entertainment) Was Directed By Oscar-Nominated Director Chris Weitz ("The Twilight Saga", "American Pie", "About A Boy"); It Opens In Select Markets On June 24thNacional Records Will Be Releasing The Film's Score On June 21st; Composed By Four-Time Oscar Nominee Alexandre Desplat ("Twilight: New Moon", "The King's Speech", "Fantastic Mr. Fox")The Score For "A Better Life" Also Features A New Original Ozomatli Track Entitled "Jardinero"; The Song Was Inspired By The Film's Main Storyline Between Undocumented Immigrant Carlos (Mexican Actor Demián Bichir) And His Teenage Son, Luis (José Julián)Watch The Trailer To "A Better Life": www.trailers.apple.com/abetterlife"This year's Oscars weren't even two weeks ago and already we could have an awards contender on our hands for next year… A Better Life." – ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
