The Reason I Jump

Mercury KX is thrilled to announce today’s OST release of the Sundance 2020 winning feature film ‘The Reason I Jump’ composed by award-winning composer Nainita Desai. A soundtrack that has already been nominated for both a BIFA and Cinema Eye Honors Award for Best Music Score. Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida, The Reason I Jump is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of non-speaking autistic people from around the world, directed by Jerry Rothwell. The film blends Higashida's revelatory insights into autism written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window for audiences into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe. After its US release earlier this year, the film will be shown in UK theaters from today onwards, followed by a release in several other European territories soon.

Mercury KX reveals Nainita Desai's hybrid OST and personal album to the award-winning film The Reason I Jump, an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity.

Mercury KX is thrilled to announce today’s OST release of the Sundance 2020 winning feature film ‘The Reason I Jump’ composed by award-winning composer Nainita Desai.
A soundtrack that has already been nominated for both a BIFA and Cinema Eye Honors Award for Best Music Score.

Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida, The Reason I Jump is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of non-speaking autistic people from around the world, directed by Jerry Rothwell. The film blends Higashida's revelatory insights into autism written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window for audiences into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.
After its US release earlier this year, the film will be shown in UK theaters from today onwards, followed by a release in several other European territories soon.

Like the book upon which the film is based, Desai’s score opens a door to a constellation of divergent ways of experiencing reality. The aim was to evoke the intense sensory worlds described in the book with a Dolby Atmos 360 soundtrack. Distinctions were made between the musical worlds of the different characters in the soundtrack, using different instrumentation. True to the film’s themes, Nainita sought authenticity towards Autism and Neurodiversity, Elisabeth Wiklander, cellist with the LPO is autistic and a cultural ambassador for the National Autistic Society and her contribution brought great sensitivity and perception.

'This piece is my most personal musical reflection from the film and interpretation of the characters’ experience of neurodiversity. The lyrics are inspired by text from the original book where I gave a voice to the non-verbal characters, breaking their ‘silence’. I wanted the lyricism of the strings, the delicate piano and purity of the voice to shed a gentle light on all the facets of autism explored in the film, tying Naoki’s final words together with understanding and empathy', says Nainita Desai about the focus track 'The Reason I Jump'

The Reason I Jump is Desai's 7th soundtrack release but also her most personal; a hybrid OST and personal album ‘the album embodies my roots in sound design, the human voice, electronic and sonic exploration of acoustic instruments that hint at the journey I am embarking on my own with my own personal music’.

Link to the digital album: https://mkx.lnk.to/TheReasonIJumpOST
Vinyl available here: https://store.universalmusic.com/mercurykx/*/Music/The-Reason-I-Jump

Mercury KX is thrilled to announce today’s release of the single “Drowning in A Sea of Words”, from the forthcoming OST of the Sundance 2020 winning feature film ‘The Reason I Jump’ by award-winning composer Nainita Desai. A soundtrack that has already been nominated for both a BIFA and Cinema Eye Honors Award for Best Music Score. Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida, The Reason I Jump is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of non-speaking autistic people from around the world, directed by Jerry Rothwell. The film blends Higashida's revelatory insights into autism written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window for audiences into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe. After its US release earlier this year, the film will be shown in UK theaters from 18 June onwards, followed by a release in several other European territories soon.

Like the book upon which the film is based, Desai’s score opens a door to a constellation of divergent ways of experiencing reality. The aim was to evoke the intense sensory worlds described in the book with a Dolby Atmos 360 soundtrack. Distinctions were made between the musical worlds of the different characters in the soundtrack, using different instrumentation. True to the film’s themes, Nainita sought authenticity towards Autism and Neurodiversity, Elisabeth Wiklander, cellist with the LPO is autistic and a cultural ambassador for the National Autistic Society and her contribution brought great sensitivity and perception.

'The third single ‘Drowning in A Sea Of Words’ takes the experiences of Joss, one of the characters in the film, whose memories are like ‘a pool of dots’; his hyper-specific recollection of memories and time that are never connected in the right order and evokes this feeling of disconnection with rippling violin arpeggios. Eventually you are enveloped in a sea of interwoven layered strings that form a warm bath of emotion conveying the joy of sensory overwhelm,” says Nainita Desai.

Listen to ‘Drowning In A Sea Of Words’ here: https://mkx.lnk.to/TheReasonIJumpOST

'We're already confident enough to call it one of the year's best soundtracks.' - A Closer Listen

'Nainita Desai's score builds little symphonies out of ambient noise.' - Indiewire (film review of 'The Reason I Jump')

'The editing is fluid and dreamlike; and the soundtrack of rhythmic noises and atonal music both soothes and startles.' - The Boston Globe (film review of ‘The Reason I Jump’)

'Quick cuts, predominantly in close-up combined with a gorgeous soundtrack put you in an alternate headspace... a viscerally stunning documentary.' - Reel News Daily (film review of ‘The Reason I Jump’)

'Nainita Desai's score does impeccable work reflecting the complex interior worlds of the on-screen subjects...Desai's score can shift between various tones with ease. As a result, the score is just as versatile as people like Amrit or Ben. The editing and score reinforce The Reason I Jump's central theme about versatility of the autistic community. ' - The Spool

Nainita Desai Reveals New Track ‘Beauty Is In The Detail’ from her forthcoming OST Album of Sundance 2020 winning feature ‘The Reason I Jump’

Nainita Desai Reveals New Track ‘Beauty Is In The Detail’ from her forthcoming OST Album of Sundance 2020 winning feature ‘The Reason I Jump’

Album Release Date: April 16th 2021 (Mercury KX)
The film is out in the US via Kino Lorber

Mercury KX is thrilled to presents release of the single “Beauty Is In The Detail”, from the forthcoming OST of the Sundance 2020 winning feature film ‘The Reason I Jump’ by award-winning composer Nainita Desai. A soundtrack that has already been nominated for both a BIFA and Cinema Eye Honors Award for Best Music Score.
Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida, The Reason I Jump is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of non-speaking autistic people from around the world, directed by Jerry Rothwell. The film blends Higashida's revelatory insights into autism written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window for audiences into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.
Today marks the film's US release via Kino Lorber.

Like the book upon which the film is based, Desai’s score opens a door to a constellation of divergent ways of experiencing reality. The aim was to evoke the intense sensory worlds described in the book with a Dolby Atmos 360 soundtrack. Distinctions were made between the musical worlds of the different characters in the soundtrack, using different instrumentation. True to the film’s themes, Nainita sought authenticity towards Autism and Neurodiversity, Elisabeth Wiklander, cellist with the LPO is autistic and a cultural ambassador for the National Autistic Society and her contribution brought great sensitivity and perception.

“‘Beauty Is In The Detail’ accompanies the paintings created by Amrit -- one of the non-verbal characters in the film. The song represents the beauty of the neuro-diverse world and how the characters perceive the detail in objects before seeing the whole picture unfold before them, and the piece tries to mirror that aesthetic. Daniel Pioro (‘Phantom Thread’) is the featured violinist on the track,” says Nainita Desai.

'Nainita Desai's score builds little symphonies out of ambient noise.' - Indiewire (film review of 'The Reason I Jump')

'The editing is fluid and dreamlike; and the soundtrack of rhythmic noises and atonal music both soothes and startles.' - The Boston Globe (film review of ‘The Reason I Jump’)

'Quick cuts, predominantly in close-up combined with a gorgeous soundtrack put you in an alternate headspace... a viscerally stunning documentary.' - Reel News Daily (film review of ‘The Reason I Jump’)

About Nainita Desai:
With musical foundations that are rooted in world music, Nainita has moved seamlessly between working with orchestras, fusing her collection of custom made instruments, electronics and found sound.

Coupled with a background in sound design and technical innovation that fuels her powerful emotive scores, her immersive approach involves deeply researched collaborations to find voices not usually heard, creating sounds that are truly unique.

Nainita Desai was born and brought up in London to Indian parents and her eclectic musical upbringing led her to studying the sitar, piano, guitar, table, singing and the violin. As a sound designer she has worked on feature films for Bertolucci (Little Buddha); and Werner Herzog (Lessons Of Darkness). Her passion for music technology has also led her to working in music engineering alongside Peter Gabriel during the legendary Real World Recording Week sessions, as well as working with acclaimed artists such as Billy Cobham, Daniel Lanois, Jane Sibbery, Nigel Kennedy, Sinead O’Connor, and Ravi Shankar.
“With footage as raw and dramatic as this, it’s a credit to composer Nainita Desai that her score remains restrained and understated throughout, emphasising subtler themes of endurance and empathy, while gesturing gently toward the possibility of hope – of love – even in the midst of tragedy” - The Guardian (film review of ‘For Sama’)

“…it’s all set to a stirring score by Nainita Desai… and never drags even through long sequences of footage.” - Vox.com (review of ‘American Murder’)

More info at: Film Music Composer Talk

More info at: Floating Into Focus

Mercury Classics presents the soundtrack for the documentary The Reason I Jump. The album contains the music composed by Nainita Desai.

Mercury Classics presents the soundtrack for the documentary The Reason I Jump. The album contains the music composed by Nainita Desai.

The soundtrack is available digitally on April 16, 2021.

The Reason I Jump is directed by Jerry Rothwell.
Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida, The Reason I Jump is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world. The film blends Higashida's revelatory insights into autism, written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window for audiences into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.
Moments in the lives of each of the characters are linked by the journey of a young Japanese boy through an epic landscape; narrated passages from Naoki’s writing reflect on what his autism means to him and others, how his perception of the world differs, and why he acts in the way he does: the reason he jumps.
The film distils these elements into a sensually rich tapestry that leads us to Naoki’s core message: not being able to speak does not mean there is nothing to say….

Visit Kino Lorber.

More info at: Official Web Site Kino Lorber