The Abandoned
Released by Moviescore, 2024
14 Tracks with a Total Running Time of 46 min.
Music Composed by Alfons Conde

Nacho Cerdá’s directorial feature debut gave us something completely different than what he showed us in his short film Aftermath (1994). Instead of the disturbing and gooey subject matter of necrophilia, The Abandoned is a slow-moving ghost story, where a woman is haunted by her childhood. She returns to her birthplace in Russia in hopes of uncovering or laying to rest her dark memories.

There isn’t a lot of action here, but more of a mood piece, there are a lot of scenes of no talking, but looking. Waiting. Searching. This is where Conde’s music blends perfectly. It worms its way into your subconscious, much like the film. Sometimes you’re not even aware of the music in the background, like a prolonged note being held, or maybe a vibration. But it’s there, helping to create and enhance the emotions you are feeling by watching what is going on.

When you get to track # 5, The Journy, we get this beautiful piece on piano and some strings, before a flute or some other wind instrument comes in. But it’s quiet and almost peaceful, but at the very end of the track, the tension starts to creep in. Very effective.

Conde does a great job creating the different emotions needed, whether it is that subdued feeling, or building the suspense or raising the viewers anticipation for what might happen, the music follows along, gently pushing the viewer deeper down into those feelings.

This is not one of those scores to listen to for melodies or themes, but it is one to create emotions and feelings. And it does that perfectly.