Film Score Monthly

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*** 1/2

The subject of the documentary Between the Folds almost cries out for beautiful music, and composer Gil Talmi does not disappoint. The movie, showing in December on PBS as part of the Independent Lens series, is about the art of origami, in which the artist folds a piece of paper up to a hundred times, without ever cutting it, to create various shapes and representations. The documentary delves into the science and math of the craft, as well as the similarities of the artists across different cultures and social classes.

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Gil Talmi, who wrote the score to last year’s documentary Forgotten Ellis Island, is as adept with a more interview-based film as he was with the archival footage of Forgotten. Much of Between the Folds is dedicated to the actual creation of the origami, and during these sequences, Talmi enhances the experience with wondrous music befitting a nature film more than something as specific as the manipulation of paper.
 

“What Do You See?” is a somber introduction before “The Colors of Life” enters with its almost pointillistic technique. There are a lot of mood cues like “Birth of a Thought,” but more impressive is the piano dexterity in tracks like“Harmonic Ratio No. 1” and “Making Life Happen.” A lovely theme and variation occurs in “The Wait,” which is broken down into three parts and has a Tangerine Dream feel. Talmi’s talents continue to impress. This score is available for download at amazon.com and iTunes.

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- Cary Wong