Tony Cairns: 'Wonderland', film 1999.

'Wonderland', 1999: Film and Soundtrack (Michael Winterbottom, director; Michael Nyman, composer).

'Nadia'.

Michael Nyman's soundtrack for 'Wonderland' (1999) seems to dig deep into a core of aching sadness at the heart of British urban life. 'Nadia' (Gina Mckee, actress) wanders the streets of London, after a doomed, anxiety-ridden blind date. Stark, sped-up images merge with the score, evoking a universe of possibility inside this young woman, and the city itself.

Illustration 1: Wandering the streets.

The music provides an inner narrative 'voice', each section ('Nadia', 'Franklyn', 'Molly'... ) being named after a different character. Does the 'Unnamed' theme represent a yet-to-be-born child?

Illustration 2: 'Wonderland'; film poster and soundtrack cover.

This movie is strongly evocative of my own memories as a twenty-something in the nineties. In one memorable scene, Nadia takes an undignified bus journey home, having been used for easy sex on what she'd thought was an ideal date. There's an identifiable cruelty to this situation: it contrasts the hopes and dreams of one thwarted individual with the vagaries of city life, in all its indifference.

Illustration 3: An undignified bus journey.

What's striking is the tender music, set against abrasive imagery (shot in a 'vérité' style on lightweight cameras, in real locations). Combined with a sensitive use of close-up, plus Gina Mckee's face and performance, Nadia's pain is made transparent, as she struggles to control her breakdown in a public space. It's a beautiful moment that the film retrieves from a world of desperation.