Do you ever have the feeling that somebody is watching you? That there's this mysterious person of spirit just behind you? That's more or less the entire feeling of Duncan Jones's latest film Moon, a science-fiction project featuring Sam Rockwell as a lonely astronaut and Kevin Spacey as his robotic companion. The film takes place entirely on the Earth's moon, where Mr. Sam Bell (Rockwell) has been living for the past three years. At the start of the film, he is only two weeks away from what he thinks is departure; however as the slowly-paced plot continues, the twists and turns humiliate the character and confuse the audience, appropriately making us feel his cabin fever. A tale of what we think is schizophrenia quickly turns eerie and stunning, creating one of the best films I've seen in a very long time. And unlike Public Enemies, the film I saw a week before Moon, this one was compelling enough to prompt a lengthy discussion on the car ride home and then some. The next morning, the storyline kept tugging at me, and the questions kept coming. As baffling and intriguing as Mr. Bell's "world" is, I realized there are some things the story didn't want us to figure out, rather just tease and torment us. It worked.

The paranoid feeling of Moon is echoed beautifully throughout Clint Mansell's score, featuring a minimalistic approach to musical motifs and recurring themes. The score runs twelve-tracks long, running at just under an hour, less than half the time of the film (this adds to the atmosphere of the movie itself). The score to Moon is one that I have put on as ambient noise as well as to seriously listen, and I find that it is quite versatile that way. Had I not seen the film, the music presented here would still be enjoyable as background filler; but because I've seen the film, the subtly dramatic flare of Mansell's style takes me back to Bell's station, a white and sterile compartment on the face of a crater-filled rock. The score is as icy as the film was, and much like the film, I want to hear the music again. As I do not own the film, it's difficult to place the tracks within the context of the movie (aside from a few), but the overall feel the music brings can place me back with the cast of two. Two Weeks & Counting is a short piano track that features a haunting melody with very loud and piercing synth chords, giving you the feeling that you're not alone. Memories (Someone We'll Never Know) is one of the more depressing songs, played as the main character finds out something very disturbing about his family back on Earth. The slow, dripping piano keys are painful, and the fact that it's only four-minutes makes it effectively evocative.

Tracks like We're Going Home and The Nursery (more or less the same song, so I think they are both here to fit cohesively) are bittersweet and tormented, as echoed and spacey as they may be. "We're Not Programs, Gerty, We're People" (a line taken from the film) begins with a sad interlude before growing into something a little more urgent and racing. It stays a cohesive quiet, but the slightly pulsating beats and menacing strings in the background add another dimension to it. This score is one of those "best heard through headphones" releases, and I can see why. Almost every component to it is hushes and subdued, and there are hidden gems thrown in beneath strong whispers. The longest track clocks in at ten strong minutes: Welcome to Lunar Industries (Three Year Stretch) is a play on the record opener, and is the only song to pick up. About three minutes into the cold song, a beat kicks in, featuring subtle drums to accompany that common piano. The dark, marching quality to it makes it a real treat to listen to. The ten-minute timing may ward a few people off, but if you just let this soundtrack play all the through, you lose yourself in it anyway. Subtly hypnotic in all the right places, Clint Mansell outdid himself.

VERDICT
I'm a little amazed I could write so much about a score with so little musical flourishes or big moments. Like the film from whence it came, Moon is a soundtrack featuring no climax or peak. It's heavy yet soft, troubling yet non-abrasive, and it's undoubtedly paranoid. This soundtrack accurately describes Sam Bell's claustrophobic tendencies just as well as Rockwell's facial expressions did.

*Unlike most albums and singles, I cannot give this score a track-by-track star rating; it's meant to be heard in full, losing where you actually are on the disc, and as an hour-long piece of music, I'd have to say Clint Mansell did an amazing job.

01. Welcome to Lunar Industries
02. Two Weeks & Counting…
03. I’m Sam Bell
04. I’m Sam Bell, Too…
05. Memories (Someone We’ll Never Know)
06. Are You Receiving?
07. Can’t Get There from Here
08. “We’re Not Programs, Gerty, We’re People”
09. The Nursery
10. Sacrifice
11. We’re Going Home
12. Welcome to Lunar Industries (Three Year Stretch….)

SCORE: 5 STARS

Recommended: Yes