Sounds of a New Home: The Use of Music in Diaspora Films

Diaspora, a concept that talks about the intermixing of various socio-economic, political, and cultural spheres via the migration of people, has led to the rise of numerous unique perspectives as a culmination of the traditions, memories and cultures of multiple regions. An implication of this has been that it has allowed a movement in filmmaking that is unique to the filmmaker, providing a perspective rarely seen before. Still, even if the subject matter is a combination born out of different regions, a few aspects are difficult to club like that, music being one of them due to its heavy dependence on the region it was born out of. This article seeks to discuss the unique use of music in diaspora films, to convey specific, unique meanings.

Music plays a vital role in any film, but especially diaspora films due to the nature of their subject matter. They are hybrid in their character and aesthetic and tend to cover subjects such as alienation, displacement, power struggles and trauma. Thus, a nostalgic situation is created, which may be difficult for audiences to relate to and consume. Thus, the music in different settings allows a situation to feel immersive, giving depth and environment to the scene and allowing audiences to capture the essence of the scene.

To reiterate this idea, let us take Mira Nair’s, “Monsoon Wedding” (2001) as an example. The film deals with an anglicised Indian family in New Delhi and their lives as they prepare for their daughter, Aditi’s, wedding. Mira Nair being Indian-American provides a unique perspective, both thematically and stylistically. Through the film, “western” music is used to drive certain emotions of the story forward. However, at certain moments of the story, when the idea of love has to be portrayed, she uses traditional and soulful Indian music to drive her point, since the setting itself, is a “big fat Indian wedding”. Even in Turkish-German diaspora films such as Başer’s “40 square meters of Germany” (1986), a film about a Turkish woman forced to live in Germany, where her husband works, most scenes are presented with non-diegetic, minimalist piano pieces. However, there is a moment in the film is when she hears a Turkish instrumental outside her window. She enthusiastically takes a look outside only to be scared away by a German man who is outraged by the unfamiliar tune. Here, one of the few diegetic, Turkish pieces in the film represents the incompatibility between cultures.

While this sentiment is effectively portrayed in many diaspora films, it is still a fine line to tread as it may lead to cultural appropriation. For example, in many western movies with wider demographics, the middle east and South Asia have been typecasted with the typical “Snake Charmers Theme”. Thus subconsciously audiences associate these countries with this sound. The same can be said about the “oriental riff” using the pentatonic scale and East Asian countries like China and Japan. All of these are ultimately westernized adaptations of music from different regions, bastardizing the authenticity of that aspect of the film.

Disney’s Frozen (2013), which involved Yoik, the traditional music of the Sami people of Sapmi in Northern Europe to provide a unique sound to their film, made no effort to represent the Sami people’s culture accurately and evoked stereotypical responses rather than a distinct environment. Leaning too far in the other direction also poses problems. In James Cameron’s “Avatar” (2009), the ideal sound was something exotic and alien. They chose not to lean heavily on non-western ideas as they could be interpreted as misrepresentation and the result turned out to be too distracting and foreign for many people.

To conclude, due to the ambiguity in diaspora films, it may be challenging for them to actively involve the audience in the film due to a lack of relatability. Hence, the use of different types of music in diaspora films can allow the effective communication of certain emotions and messages.