Episode 231: Zeina Durra & Nascuy Linares on The Music Of Luxor

Soundtracking with Edith Bowman

Our latest guests on Soundtracking are a duo who've combined to great effect on the haunting drama and character study, Luxor.

As we'll hear, writer / director Zeina Durra contacted Venezuelan composer Nascuy Linares somewhat out of the blue to score her film, which tells the story of an aid worker who heads to Egypt to escape the horrors of the civil war in Syria, and runs into an old flame while she's there. Andrea Riseborough's performance in the lead role is something to behold, as are the locations and cinematography, so do check all of the above out on home entertainment formats as and when you get a second.

Originally, Zeina didn't want any incidental music at all, which perhaps informed the ambient, stripped-back aesthetic of Nascuy's score. But he's done a beautiful job from beginning to end - capturing both a mood and a sense of place.