There’s a scene in director J.D. Dillard’s upcoming aerial war epic, Devotion, that completely caught me off guard. Navy officer Jesse Brown – played by a mesmerizing Jonathan Majors – stares intensely at his reflection in the mirror at base camp. It’s quiet, eerily so, until composer Chanda Dancy‘s ruminating score takes hold of the scene and pushes Jesse to the verge of a total breakdown. The restraint in this pivotal moment of character development could be viewed as risky to some, but it’s the delicate attention to detail and subtext that makes this war drama sound unlike other films in the genre.
Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Adam Makos, Devotion tells the inspirational true story of Jesse Brown (Majors), the first Black aviator in Navy history, and his comrade and friend, Tom Hudner (Glen Powell), as they set out to fight in the Korean War at the start of the 1950s. The film depicts a brutal reality – one of hardship, loss, and hate – while also keeping the themes of brotherhood, sacrifice, and love close by. It’s a rich film full of high moments, tragic realizations, and everything in between – all of which are encapsulated in Chanda’s emotive orchestral score.
Cinemacy is excited to premiere “The Lighthouse”, from Sony Pictures and Black Label Media’s Devotion, below:
Much like the fighter jets in the film, “The Lighthouse” soars through a symphony of melodic strings and EDM synths. Chanda brings the audience into the cockpit of the plane by using sounds that resemble engines, wind, and other elements of flight. Speaking about her creative process, she explains, “Love is everlasting – love for your friends, love for your family, love for country, and love for your fellow human. That is the true meaning of Devotion, and I wanted the score to reflect that. From the elation of flight in “The Lighthouse”, to tender love for a wife in “A Gift For Daisy”, true friendship in “Be There For Them”, duty to country in “Procedure”, and the very essence of standing up and showing up for others in “Measure Of A Man”, I hope to give the listener a sense of these emotions, and in turn, a glimpse into the lives of Jesse Brown, Daisy Brown, Tom Hudner, and the aviators of U.S. Navy VFA-32.”
Chanda started composing orchestral works at the age of 12 and is an alumnus of both the USC Film Scoring Program and the Sundance Composers Lab. Her most recent project, the documentary Aftershock, won the Impact for Change award at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival in addition to being nominated for the Grand Jury prize. Her 18+ years of experience in the film and TV space has not gone unnoticed in the music community, as Anthony Parnther, conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony, confidently states that Chanda is “quickly gaining recognition as a foremost black American contemporary composer.” Her next project is scoring the upcoming Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
Lakeshore Records is releasing the ‘Devotion’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on Friday, November 18th. Listen to the album here.
‘Devotion’ opens in theaters everywhere on Wednesday, November 23rd.
