Lakeshore records release the score for Child 44, the politically-charged serial killer thriller set in 1953 Soviet Russia. The film chronicles the crisis of conscience for secret police agent Leo Demidov, who loses status, power and home when he refuses to denounce his own wife, Raisa, as a traitor. Exiled from Moscow to a grim provincial outpost, Leo and Raisa join forces with General Mikhail Nesterov to track down a serial killer who preys on young boys. Their quest for justice threatens a system-wide cover-up enforced by Leo’s psychopathic rival Vasili, who insists “There is no crime in Paradise”...

Jon Ekstrand's score for Child 44 opens with the beautiful, yet slightly foreboding, 'Opening', which sets the mood for the music to come.

It's an interesting, and unusual score, in that Ekstrand manages to convey the isolation and strange situation that the protagonist finds himself in - exiled from home to an environment he doesn't want to be in - before opening the music up to psychological thriller fare.

The album contains 24 tracks (1 hr, 03 min, 11 sec) and this is another album that works best when played through from start to finish. The music here really works well as a standalone project, creating a visual story in the listener's mind - even if they haven't seen the movie.

8

Darren Rea