Plaza Mayor Company Ltd release Nascuy Linares original score for Hambre. In crisis-stricken Venezuela two former schoolmates are at a crossroads. Roberto, an idealist, works for the ministry of transportation convinced he will never abandon his home country. Selina, a careless brat, works illegally in Italy and considers marrying for papers as long as she never has to return to her native Venezuela. When Roberto gets a job offer abroad and Selina gets trapped in Venezuela, they face a difficult question: stay behind or migrate...?

The music for Hambre consists of 12 tracks (26 min, 24 sec), being more an EP than a full blown album. It paints a soundscape which perfectly encapsulates the setting and storyline of the movie. There's no escaping that the composer has embraced indigenous instruments in order to encapsulate an authentic, almost exotically mysterious sound.

Discussing the project, composer Nascuy Linares, says: "The music for Hambre seeks to translate the nostalgic imagery of Venezuelan migration in recent years into a cohesive sonic experience. At the heart of the score lies a processed cuatro, a traditional Venezuelan instrument whose familiar timbre evokes a deep sense of longing and cultural memory. Surrounding it, layers of electronic sound weave a delicate atmosphere, enriching the film's emotional landscape. The music aims to make the audience feel as if they are experiencing an old childhood song—faint, intimate, and persistent—lingering in the corners of memory like a story never fully told."

I did feel, on balance, that this score was more a labour of love, with Linares falling in love and experimenting with the cuatro to really push its music capabilities above and beyond what it's capable of.

Overall, this is a lovingly crafted collection of subtle themes, which for the most part are hauntingly beautiful.

7

Darren Rea