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Soundtrack Review: Biutiful (2010)

Reviewer: JØrn Tillnes

Biutiful Soundtrack Review: This is a review of the film score Biutiful by Gustavo Santaolalla.

"if you are a Gustavo Santaolalla fan, you might find something here of interest"

Biutiful is a story of a man who is on the road to redemption. Starring Javier Bardem and directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, this Spanish movie is set in Barcelona and shows the relationship with his children, how he is going to any length necessary to keep them safe. The composer is Gustavo Santaolalla who was last heard from in climbing expedition movie Nanga Parbat.

Track List

1. Black Butterflies	****
2. Rein	***
3. Kat's Gut	****
4. Wud Box	**
5. Negrosantolallismo	***
7. Raval	**
8. Floid	***
9. As It Chud Be	***
13. The Beech	***
14. Epilogue	****
16. Almost Eir	***
17. Seedz	**
18. Maler	*****
19. But... Guai?	****
20. Davis	****
21. ...And It Mooves	****
22. Gedeik	****
23. Tin Can Gitar	**
24. Migraine	***
25. Almost Again	****
26. Elegiac	****

Remember Babel and 21 Grams? Ok, granted Babel was a mess but it won an Oscar (I know... I know...). 21 Grams I felt was quite a beautiful score. Biutiful comes somewhere in between.

The Guitar

You have the guitar that Santaolalla loves to use, and it is the main instrument of choice here as you travel from track to track. It sound's quite mellow and not very dramatic. Like a lazy summer day listening to the radio in the background. If you don't pay attention you will forget that you are listening to it.

'Blak Butterflies' and 'Epilogue' are good examples of what you can expect from Biutiful. Long ambient sequences and the use of a lonely guitar. I am not sure if it fits what I saw in the trailer, as they made it very dramatic, going from drama to thriller and even horror. This score is a drama score first and foremost, and the best parts comes after Epilogue. Perhaps the best cue is 'Maler' that shows a wide range of possibilities for Gustavo Santaolalla. There is piano and strings while a strong underscore plays in the background.

Conclusion

There is much missing from this score. It lacks punch as it goes from track to track without direction. There are no highs or lows, just the same from beginning to end. As a slow subtle score it does well, but I question if there is need for so many tracks of the same material. Nevertheless, if you are a Gustavo Santaolalla fan, you might find something here of interest. I've seen Gustavo go from bad, to great, to bad and back again many times and this falls just above the middle of the range.

->Buy the CD on Amazon<-

->Buy the MP3 Album on Amazon<-

->Buy the Album on iTunes<-

Listen to the Biutiful soundtrack by Gustavo Santaolalla below:

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