Before the composer’s passing at 48, established musician Johann G. Johansson worked on a wide array of film scores based not only in his native country of Iceland, but in the U.S. and China, just to name a few. As a seasoned and sought-after creative in the industry, Johansson wrote music for massive multimedia platforms, from theater, dance, and television, in addition to his revered film scores. Throughout his signature style, in blending traditional orchestration cords with contemporary electronic undertones, Johansson was able to create an unconventional viewing experience that evoked human emotion for the viewer and overall storyline buildup.
From being nominated for Academy Awards for Best Original Score (for The Theory of Everything and Sicario), releasing an expansive range of solo albums from 2002 up until 2017, to winning a Golden Globe for Best Original Score for The Former, Johansson’s musical career began as an indie band member in the 1980s. For much of the ’90s, he immersed himself into his lead role as a guitarist and producer, working with Iceland-based indie rock bands Olympia, Ham, and Unun.
Reflecting on the work of Johansson, his musical palette is elegant, unconventional, and experimental through its designated cinematic channels. He was set, alongside Hans Zimmer, to score Blade Runner 2049 before his sudden passing, and one wonders what magic they might have made. Here are some of Johann Johansson’s most established movie scores.
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7 Arrival
Paramount Pictures
Johansson’s score for the soundtrack to Arrival, takes viewers on a whirlwind experience. In his mixture of classical elements with distinct otherworldly sounds that signify a possible alien invasion, he sets the stage throughout his instrumental lead-ins. Arrival was a beautiful and massive soundscape, but was disqualified from the Oscars for Best Original Score because of its incorporation of non-original music. The Academy liked it enough though that they issued a qualifying statement blaming pieces of Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight” being played during pivotal moments of the film, and how that did not adhere to the eligibility guidelines for originality. Nonetheless, Johansson’s work compliments and strengthens Richter’s in an inter-textual way.
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6 Mandy
RLJE Films
The 2018 psychedelic horror film Mandy depicts a malicious cult group as they inflict horror among two town locals, Red Miller (a constantly blood-soaked performance in one of the best Nicolas Cage films) and his girlfriend Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough). Johansson emphasized the notes in heavy metal to illustrate the emotions of panic and uncertainty perfectly, becoming an integral part of this style-over-substance masterpiece. Labeled as his final composition, Johannson’s musical swan song accompaniment is a flawless addition to the film, with distorted guitars over drums producing a neverending echo-like sound, with experimental genre-bending of ambient electronica with black metal.
5 Prisoners
Warner Bros.
Johann Johansson’s original score for one of the best Denis Villeneuve films, Prisoners, evokes prompt responses from viewers. Once his 6-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend go missing, Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) goes on a quest to find leads that will hopefully aid him in bringing his daughter back to safety. With limited help from Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), Dover takes matters into his own hands, and Johansson provides a masterfully tense and discomforting score.
4 Lovesong
Strand Releasing
In Lovesong, Sarah (Riley Keough) sets out on a spur of the moment road trip with her young daughter and her best friend Mindy (Jena Malone). After being mistreated by her husband, Sarah and Mindy are later pushed apart from each other in the midst of their trip, resulting in limited to no communication between the two. In the years to follow, Mindy unexpectedly invites Sarah to her upcoming wedding. As a result of this invitation, Sarah makes it a point to bring closure to their relationship in this subdued, emotional film with a fittingly quiet and melancholic score from Johansson.
3 The Mercy
StudioCanal
Based on the story of Donald Crowhurst, detailing his life as an amateur sailor who aimed to ride around the globe without stopping by himself, The Mercy follows the yachtsman’s in-depth experiences as he attempts to win the 1968 Golden Globe Race. The Mercy is credited as one of Johann Johansson’s last projects before his untimely death, and features some of his most bombastic and uplifting musical work.
2 The Theory of Everything
Working Title Films
Set in the 1960s at the University of Cambridge, The Theory of Everything follows Cambridge University student and aspiring physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) as he learns that he has motor neuron disease at the age of 21. After falling in love with Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), a fellow student, both Stephen and Jane begin to intricately study new medical solutions, in the process making new and significant improvements in the field of medicine and science; the two end up achieving more successes than they could ever imagine. In Johansson’s gorgeous work, he utilizes various soft textural sounds and digitalized orchestral instruments to bring color and personality to the story, with soundscapres each representing the different stages in Hawking’s story.
1 Sicario
Lionsgate
After being recruited by the high ranking government official Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) receives an assignment to join an elite task force, dedicated to bringing an end to the escalating war against drugs in the modern masterpiece, Sicario. For the music in Sicario, Johansson’s work is often echoed dramatically, reminiscent of moving through a tunnel. This symbolizes the transition from sounds associated with being in a safe environment, to the build up of sounds that produces anxiety, then later higher notes to reflect the most intense emotional moments. It also literally compliments the plot of tunnel-digging drug cartels and the tense sequences of border-crossing. His epic, electronic blasts of sound would go on to influence film scores ever since.
