One of my favorite aspects to writer/directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s 2006 film Half Nelson — aside from its wonderful performances by Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, and Anthony Mackie of course — was the use of music by Broken Social Scene for key moments. The motel scene, which features BSS’ “Shampoo Suicide” off their 2002 masterpiece, You Forgot It In People, was particularly moving (check it out below). Their follow-up, Sugar, also included great music by TV on the Radio and a score by Michael Brook, but I’m delighted that Boden and Fleck have teamed up with Broken Social Scene once again for their next film, It’s Kind Of A Funny Story. In fact, that isn’t the only forthcoming film that BSS are scoring…
“We’ve got a lot of cinematic music in the can,” founding BSS member Brendan Canning told the Aquarian Weekly. “There’s a few movies we’re working on while we do a month of touring and festivals to promote the record. We’re involved with Daydream Nation, It’s Kind Of A Funny Story, and This Movie Is Broken.”
While we already knew about the latter film, This Movie Is Broken, as the pseudo-documentary/concert film about Kevin Drew and Canning’s indie collective premiered at SXSW earlier this year, the other two are news to me. Daydream Nation, which takes its name from Sonic Youth’s classic 1988 album and not-so-subtly features a lead character named Thurston, stars Kat Dennings, Josh Lucas, and Andie MacDowell in a “provocative yet humorous romance about a rural community.” It’s Kind Of A Funny Story stars Zach Galifianakis, Zoe Kravitz, Emma Roberts, Lauren Graham, and Keir Gilchrist, a teenager who checks himself into an adult psychiatric hospital. The film is adapted from Ned Vizzini’s young adult novel of the same name.
We’re not sure yet if Broken Social Scene scored these movies entirely or simply penned a few songs, but we’ll revisit the subject when further details (and trailers) for this pair of now highly anticipated flicks come to light.