Unruly

Unruly, Malou Reymann’s critically acclaimed sophomore feature, is inspired by actual events of the women’s institution of Sprogø in Denmark in the 1930’s and tells the story of Maren, a strong-minded young woman, seen by authorities to be ill-mannered and promiscuous.  Concerned her unruly behavior will incite others, she is sent away to an women’s institution on the small island of Sprogø. Here she is to learn how to behave as a proper young woman. She must share a room with Sørine who has already internalized the story about herself and has learned to behave properly. Sørine is to help Maren settle in Sprogø and help her change her behavior, but Maren’s refusal to comply with the system leads to terrible consequences for both.   Unruly is a horrific story about women losing power over their own bodies.

Composer Lisa Montan set off with a desire to translate the story of the film into sound and music by finding a space where the inner and outer worlds meet and did this thanks to a unique and very specific ensemble, collaborating with a handful of Sweden’s most talented artists: music producer & mixer Linus Hillborg, Nordic jazz pioneer Nils Berg (Bass clarinet & saxophone), flute soloist Laura Michelin, Thora Thorslund (principal trumpet at the Royal Opera in Stockholm) and experimental cellist and composer Leo Svensson Sander. This result is a stunning and immediate journey through an otherworldly timbre of emotions that help carry the film’s more everlasting metaphors.

Inspired by the primal power of the female body, Lisa Montan discusses her choice for wind instruments as the touching point of the score: “The textures of the acoustic material of the woodwinds and trumpet are significant in finding locations within our bodies that serve as emotional centres.  I find that these wind instruments that rely on the breathe really suit the emotional landscape of this film and give the viewers the chance to, even if momentarily, experience a frequency that resonates in unison with all of us.  This production all came together in close collaboration with producer Linus Hillborg and his way of sculpting electronics into the acoustic sound picture”.