“Ebb & Flow” is a film written & directed by Nay Tabbara. It follows Loulwa, a teenage girl in Lebanon during the early 2000s, working towards getting her first kiss. As soon as she’s about to get her goal though, an explosion goes off, and there’s a panic to get home to her mom, whom she’s lied to about her whereabouts. I’m inspired by this story because of how simple it is on the surface, but about how many layers are available to be uncovered – the resiliency of young Lebanese people, the normalcy of growing up in different places, and the dilemma of whether to leave or stay in a problematic place you love. But at the end of the day, Loulwa is trying to live a normal life that an American teenager might be trying to live, and I think the power of that is incredible, since we typically get an over-exoticised representation of the Middle-East.

The score we’ve developed for Ebb & Flow has become increasingly unique, due to the necessity to create new instruments for this specific story. What’s fascinating about the film itself, are the simple truths being hidden underneath a complex facade – ie, Loulwa’s desires are straightforward (dreaming of her first kiss), but the setting and situation make these simple desires hard to execute. Nay’s ability to present this concept in a way that’s so convincing, inspired me to create an instrument that was based on a simple sound, but processed to add layers and complexity to it – while at the surface being something very pure and honest.

This resulted in a lot of sound design with different flutes and strings in libraries I have. I initially used pre-existing samples, adding processing to get the right sound & expression. It’s such a big gamechanger though to now have the budget to record the base instruments to build these sounds off of – the ney flute and some strings (two violas, two celli.) It’s going to elevate the score to be able to take the time to record these how we’d like to, and then process them from scratch, making them unique to the film. I’m also excited to put together a small sample library with these recordings (doing a touch of sampling) to use for this project and future projects.

In addition to inspiring story elements, I’ve been inspired by scores by everybody on the panel, as well as Johnny Greenwood and Nick Britell’s use of sound design details (particularly in Power of the Dog and Beal Street), and am always seeking ways to further delve into these sound worlds.

The other important aspect of the score is a diegetic pop song, inspired by early 90s pop, which Loulwa is listening to in various dream sequences in the film. While we had a plan to get some recording of the vocals at home with a microphone, we are now able to focus much more in depth on the song, and to record it in a professional studio, ultimately mixing, mastering it, and releasing the song with the attention it deserves. There is a neat layered vocal to choral moment we’ve settled on, and it’s going to be incredible getting to do that in a studio.

Having the resources to record the score in a studio, take the time to get the sounds we want, and ultimately mix everything professionally, is all going to elevate the film wonderfully. We hope to be proud of the process, as well as the result, including the ney & string sample library!

I am so grateful to the Reel Change Fund, to all the board members, and New Music USA, for the opportunity to elevate this score, and I hope to be a good steward of these funds and to create something breathtaking!

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Bio: With his music scoring Julianne Moore, being featured in the National Portrait Gallery (thru 2023), DOC NYC, New Orleans Film Festival (Glen Eden, dir. Rebecca Blandón), RAINDANCE Film Festival, (Frayed Roots, dir. Nay Tabbara), and more, Alex Wakim’s unique musical tastes have led him to explore fresh avenues in writing for the screen. His cinematic Middle-Eastern music has been published with APM, and he is the co-founder of Dekatu Scoring, a boutique advertising music company, working with brands like ILIA and Hourglass Cosmetics. 

In addition to his scoring work, Wakim has developed two successful shows that continue to grow: Dust and Ions, a concert experience based on his album, as well as An American in Beirut, a musical in development with the Musical Theatre Factory in NYC. Both have received sold out shows across the country – his second album, Chasing Moons, has also received acclaim, released under the Artists Recording Collective label. He also loves stargazing, history, and exceptional stories.

Photo above by Kacy Meineke