McFerrin

It is a curious refrain embedded into key moments throughout 2017’s The Square. Calm moments surrounded by uncomfortable situations; intonations amplifying unwelcome serenity.

When I first heard this portion of the soundtrack, I thought it was a unique instrumental. By the time it resurfaced during the last scene – the calmest of emotional climaxes to the story, where a young girl looks up at her father from the back seat, her previous respect undermined by his unstable actions and not-so-well-hidden mistreatment of others – I knew I needed to look it up. The track is such a perfect auxiliary to the ridiculous, and occasionally important, musings of Ruben Östlund. And of his many flawed characters.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it was Bobby McFerrin’s improvisations that scored this maelstrom of a film. In many ways, appropriate accompaniment.

An indie ditty for the middle of this, a most testing, week.