Chris Connor chats with Poor Things composer Jerskin Fendrix…
Since premiering at Venice, Poor Things has earned a swathe of awards and strong critical reception. One of the key elements that has helped drive its success is the unorthodox score from musician Jerskin Fendrix, marking his first film score. The film has earned a nomination for Best Original Score at the Oscars. Jerskin discussed some of the influences on the film and what drew him to film music and this film in particular and collaborating with Yorgos Lanthimos.
Did you always see yourself doing music for films?
I always saw myself doing music because I wasn’t good at anything else. Film music is a great exercise in empathy – I saw something about M. Night Shyamalan berating Anya Taylor-Joy for crying her own tears on set, rather than those of her character. I’ve written so many autobiographical pieces of music, mainly songs, that I think it is really enriching to try and completely feel on behalf of such a character as say Bella Baxter.
How involved was Yorgos Lanthimos in the score?
Yorgos is a wonderful and courageous director – he does not micromanage or backseat drive, he gives a huge amount of trust and space for his workers’ interpretation of the material. He explained Poor Things as much as he needed to, chiefly with the script and concept artwork, and then sort of let me bolt the stalls. With some later refining.
Did you read Alasdair Gray’s novel beforehand?
I hadn’t read Poor Things before I was approached about the film. It is a really beautiful book, I definitely took some cues from Gray’s style of depiction – very caring and detailed, but loose and playful at the same time.
How early on did you get involved?
I started writing the score about six months before principal photography – I think most of the music was finished before the filming started. I loved having the space and time and lack of any formic restriction to come up with a lot more abstract pieces inspired by the width of the story, rather than having to compose to function.
How did you find charting Bella’s growth and maturity as the film progresses?
Trying somehow to map Bella’s development musically was probably the most challenging function to maintain. Yorgos generally picked where each piece should go, and I really love how he deployed these various more abstract evocations of Bella and her journey into something that felt like it had a tangible arc.
Were there any particular reference points for the score?
Not really – Yorgos decided early on he didn’t want to give me any references – no other film scores, or composers, or pieces of music in general. I think it was so important that Poor Things felt like an ex nihilo world, totally exclusive.
The only references I can think of would have been to some historic medical documents I sought out at the Welcome Collection, and some more abstract thoughts about smells and babies.
How did you find the shifting locations with the film moving from London to Lisbon, Paris and more?
We didn’t really want music that would stereotypically play into the locations. I think that musically, the different locations represent distinct experiences for Bella, and her reactions to them. A little like a morality play, you can see Bella respond to these new situations and emotions, altering her actions and purpose accordingly, and the music sort of expresses that. The Portuguese Dances are meant to feel at least slightly Portuguese though.
Many thanks to Jerskin Fendrix for taking the time for this interview. Read our Poor Things review here.
Chris Connor
