When the Soundtrack Is Better Than the Movie: Five Musical Films Where the Songs Take Center Stage

"The Ballad of Wallis Island" (VOD, yes, HOT) is a small, charming British film that was one of my favorite movies last year. It was made by the comic duo Tim Key and Tom Basden, who also wrote the script and play the lead roles. Key plays an almost lone resident on Wallis Island off the coast of Wales, who has suddenly become rich. He invites to the island the folk duo loved by his wife, McGwyer Mortimer, which broke up years ago. Basden plays the man, and Carey Mulligan, who already played a singer in "Inside Llewyn Davis," plays the woman. They do not know that their wealthy fan is inviting them for a reunion performance, or that there is no audience on the island at all. It is a sweet and eccentric film, but at its core beats a warm heart. Most importantly, Basden wrote 15 original songs as the hits of the fictional duo, and they are no less successful than the film.

"Urchin" (VOD, yes, HOT) is Alex Russell's debut film, which won the Best First Feature award this year at the Independent Spirit Awards. It is a small American independent film, with somewhat predictable twists, about a fan of a pop singer who meets him by chance and is invited to become part of his entourage and his official documentarian. But then he becomes an obsessive, compulsive fan. The challenge in the film is to convince us that the star really creates huge hits, something like The Weeknd or Usher. That job fell to Kenny Beats, who wrote sweet soul pop hits that truly create that illusion.

"Mother Mary" (in theaters) is directed by David Lowery ("A Ghost Story," "The Green Knight") and is still playing in theaters. Anne Hathaway, who won an Oscar for her singing in "Les Misérables," plays an international pop star in the style of Lady Gaga, who is suffering from a creative and mental crisis and seeks refuge with her former lover (Michaela Coel), who was also her costume designer. What begins as a somewhat banal version of "The Emperor's New Clothes" later turns into a strange and beautiful ghost story, turning unrequited love and a broken heart into a ghost that forever haunts lovers. What is interesting about the film is that Charli XCX wrote most of the star's songs, with additional contributions from FKA Twigs, and it is worth noting that Charli XCX has entered the film business in a big way. "Wuthering Heights," which includes original songs by her, recently premiered on HBO Max, and she is credited as composer and creator on two additional films that have not yet arrived in Israel.

"The History of Sound" (Apple TV+) stars Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor, two of the biggest British stars right now, as two music scholars in love in early 20th-century America. They meet at a university in New England and set out on a journey through the American South to study the origins of soul and folk songs, and record them on the new invention, the phonograph. World War I separates them in a beautiful and sad story about love strengthened by music and undermined by history. The director is South African Oliver Hermanus, who directed "Living," the Kurosawa remake. Oliver Coates is responsible for the score, which gathers American folk songs into a contemporary arrangement. Another film worth seeing, and worth seeking out the soundtrack for.

"The Testament of Ann Lee" (Disney+) is an impressive, unique and extraordinary film, with exhilarating use of music. But it is very difficult to watch, almost unbearably so. The film was created by the married couple Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet, she directs and he produces. Amanda Seyfried, whom we know can sing from "Mamma Mia!", plays Ann Lee, who founded the Shaker sect in the 17th century, related to the Quakers, who believe that the Messiah after Jesus will be a woman. Because Shaker believers sing, dance and sway in ecstasy, Fastvold turned the film into a musical with new songs written by Daniel Blumberg, who won an Oscar for the score of "The Brutalist." Ann Lee endures torment, a ruthless Christian passion play, but the soundtrack is indeed a religious experience.