'Beasts Of The Southern Wild' Soundtrack Hits iTunes Today; Plus List Of U.S. Theaters Where The Film Plays

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by The Playlist
June 27, 2012 2:21 PM
5 Comments

Stick a fork in your list of best soundtracks of the year right now, it might be done. Unless, by some miracle, something unexpectedly happens (and/or Hans Zimmer just blows us away with "The Dark Knight Rises"), one major contender for soundtrack of the year is the score for Benh Zeitlin's well-celebrated indie picture, "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Already lauded at Sundance (where it won Best Narrative) and Cannes (where it picked up the cinematography prize), we recently placed the film at the top of our Best Films Of Year... So Far list and we'll tell you: believe the hype, it's well-justified.

A heartrending, magical and extraordinary debut film about a six-year-old girl who leaves her ailing father and Delta-community home in search of her mother (though that feels like just the tip of the iceberg), equally exceptional and particularly striking is the film's wonderful score. Written by producer/mixer and composer Dan Romer and Zeitlin himself (they also both scored Zeitlin's acclaimed short "Glory At Sea"), in a recent interview with the director that The Playlist has yet to publish, the filmmaker told us the concept for the score was that it was the music that lead character Hushpuppy (played by Quvenzhané Wallis in an amazing breakthrough turn) hears inside her head.

Stirring, mournful, bewitching and anthemic, it's not completely off-base to say the score is Arcade Fire-esque in its energetic and rousing celebratory nature. And yes, on a close listen, it's all based on the same one-theme, but that's part of its emotional brilliance. However you want to describe it, we recommend you check it and the movie out as soon as possible. "Beasts of the Southern Wild" hits theaters today in limited release (June 27th) and the soundtrack is available on iTunes as of today. Additionally, if you'd like to know where else 'Beasts' is playing theatrically and where to see it in your town, we've got the current rollout plan thanks to Fox Searchlight, which you can see below.

"Beasts of the Southern Wild" soundtrack tracklist (all songs Romer/Zeitlin unless otherwise attributed)
1. Particles of the Universe (Heartbeats)
2. The Bathtub (feat. The Lost Bayou Ramblers)
3. Momma's Song
4. I Think I Broke Something
5. The Smallest Piece
6. Les Veuves de la Coulee - Leroy "Happy Fats" LeBlanc
7. The Smallest Piece
8. Until the Water Goes Down
9. Mother Nature
10. The Survivors
11. Particles of the Universe (Elysian Fields)
12. Strong Animals
13. La Danse de Mardi Gras - The Balfa Brothers
14. The Thing That Made You
15. The Confrontation
16. Death Bed
17.Once There Was a Hushpuppy

6/27/12
NEW YORK
Lincoln Plaza, New York, NY
Sunshine Cinemas, New York, NY

LOS ANGELES
The Landmark Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Arclight Hollywood, Hollywood, CA

7/4/12
NEW ORLEANS
Elmwood Palace, Harahan, LA
Prytania Theatre, New Orleans, LA
Canal Place Theatre, New Orleans, LA

7/6/12
BOSTON
Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA

WASHINGTON, DC
Bethesda Row Cinema, Bethesda, MD
E-Street Cinema, Washington, DC

CHICAGO, IL
Century 12 Evanston, Evanston, IL
Century Centre Cinema 7, Chicago, IL

DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TX
Angelika Mockingbird Statino, Dallas, TX
Angelika Plano Film Center, Plano, TX

LOS ANGELES, CA
Playhouse Art Cinema, Padasdena, CA
Arclight Beach Cities, El Segundo, CA
Arclight Sherman Oaks, Sherman Oaks, CA
University Town Center, Irvine, CA

SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Embarcado Art Cinema, San Francisco, CA

More screening dates on the next page.

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More: Benh Zeitlin, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Soundtrack

5 Comments

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gaston213 | June 28, 2012 2:39 PMReply

I just realized that you can essentially stream the score from the films site if you click on the different things floating around on the screen. In love with everything about this so far.

http://www.welcometothebathtub.com/
gaston213 | June 28, 2012 2:42 PM

Never mind, turns out it only plays 2 different songs. :/ On to itunes it is then
David | June 27, 2012 3:07 PMReply

I've commented at ends about this film, and it's worthwhile for sure --- but let's scale back the oversaturation of adverts for this. Indiewire has become a transmedia billboard pushing this film and it's a real buzz kill.

Well, the one redemption is that it's displaced all the overhyped campaigns for Girls.
The Playlist | June 27, 2012 4:02 PM

Fyi, we don't personally control our ads (the playlist team that is). I suppose our love of the film dovetails well (or poorly as you suggest) with the surfeit of ads on the site, but you do understand that FoxSearchlight's marketing has targeted the site because its a good and strong demographic, right?

Also, pretty sure there were no ads for Girls on the site which is a shame because that show is great.
Remy | June 27, 2012 2:47 PMReply

I was actually just searching for it...