MARK KERMODE’S MOVIE PLAYLIST
THE CRITIC AND SCALA RADIO PRESENTER CHOOSES SCORES HE’S BEEN PLAYING ON HIS WEEKLY SHOW
ENYS MEN
BY MARK JENKIN
As with his previous era-defining work Bait, Cornish cinematic bard Mark Jenkin has provided the score for this superbly eerie and haunting oddity. The soundtrack, which Invada have released both digitally and on limited-edition vinyl, is an atmospheric treat, full of squishy analogue throbs and plaintive, half-heard tune fragments, all blended together with the sounds of the sea and the wind, as if the music was oozing out of the landscape of the film. There are also fragments of dialogue which crackle through the ambient throng like ghostly voices at a séance. The overall effect is quite mesmerising; if you’re a fan of the OST of David Lynch’s Eraserhead, or of Mica Levi’s work on Monos, then this will be a contender for best album of 2023. Enys Men completists may also wish to track down the album Gwavas Lake by Brenda Wootton with the Four Lanes Male Choir, which boasts the spine-tingling rendition of ‘The Bristol Christ’ featured in the film. And don’t forget Gwenno’s ‘Kan Me’ from her album Tresor, which serves as Enys Men’s theme. Perfect!