| All Against All (2020) *** 1/2 | |||
The film is a story about a society losing morality, where only criminals have a moral code, and it follows a corrupt mayor of an idyllic Slovenian town, who connects with a local criminal in order to put his opponent in the upcoming elections out of race. “All Against All is an answer to the famous Slovenian drama Kralj na Betajnovi written by Ivan Cankar, a story which is still up to date nowadays”, director Andrej Košak said. The score comes courtesy of Kristian Sensini (Rocks in My Pocket, La Sorpresa).
Throughout the score, Sensini takes small cells of material and uses them as ostinatos that sometimes morph into thematic lines. These interactions can seem almost improvisational, as in “Confrontation.” The album highlight is “3 Puzzle Pieces,” an impressive, 13-minute track that comes at the midpoint of the playlist and feels like a modernist concert work. The title track
is a gentle little waltz, while the final “All the Major’s Women”
is a jazzy, flute-driven ballad that brings All Against All to a satisfying close.
About the same time as this release, Sensini also dropped a solo album of string quartet miniatures entitled KuartetS, recorded with a session quartet last June. Proceeds will go towards helping the Coronavirus relieft effort in Italy. You can find out more at the composer’s website. —Steven A. Kennedy |
