I’ve watched a lot of movies. Many have become murky shadows in my memory that are almost as tough to recall as the details of a dream. But there are also some that remain perpetually vivid. These films scratch a mark so deeply, it scars… and I never forget a single scene. LaBouche Canalla Wins Her Snack is one of those movies. It is brilliantly strange. The experience is like searching for a secure purchase while dangling off a cliff’s edge, but only finding mud. The desperate attempt to hold on engages emotions and intellect while sparking wonder to create an indelible memory.
LaBouche Canalla Wins Her Snack is about a charismatic cannibal (Olivia Victoria G.) gleefully skipping and dancing through an isolated valley that seems to have a timeline that occasionally gets stuck, like the needle on a damaged vinyl album. She stumbles upon a bizarre figure named Rivil (Claudio Losavio) who promises to unveil secrets from her past. The only catch? LaBouche must remember and honor the deal this puzzling individual has offered.
Writer/director/producer/cinematographer/editor Giuliano Tomassacci has created a masterpiece that some might call madness. Composer Samantha Bird had the task of crafting a surreal soundscape that is hauntingly playful and sinisterly innocent. Her melodies and orchestration reveal more about LaBouche and Rivil than the peculiar repetitive dialogue. Her resplendent music is an essential element that helps make LaBouche Canalla Wins Her Snack unforgettable.
Samantha was kind enough to answer a few questions from Entertaining Options about her background and how she wound up working with Giuliano Tomassacci on this exceptional film.
Can you give us a quick rundown of how you got to where you are now in your career?
I always played an instrument as a kid, starting, of course, with the recorder, as most children do. Then, I moved on to flute and piano. I went to the University of Bristol to study music, where I focused most of my time on composition. I graduated in 2021 and decided to stay on for another year getting my Master’s in Composition for Film and TV. During my time at university, I played flute in several orchestras, and I was also a singer in an ‘80s cover band!
How did you find out about LaBouche Canalla Wins Her Snack?
The director, Giuliano [Tomassacci], found me on LinkedIn! He was looking for someone who could compose, play flute, and provide vocals for the track, and I must have popped up on a search. I have a website where a lot of my previous work can be viewed, and he also asked me to send him a video of me playing the flute. We spoke over email, and the rest was history!
What is your approach to scoring a film?
This is actually the first full-length feature film that I have scored. Previously, I had only worked on short films and things like that, so this was a really fun and new experience for me. I started off by watching the film, which had some placeholder music to give me an idea of the style. Then, I began writing what I would say is the main theme of the film, “LaBouche’s Salterello.” This track formed the basis for much of the rest of the score, as I used a lot of the musical ideas and themes throughout the other cues.
At what point were you brought into the film? How much guidance did you get for creating the score?
For this project, I was brought in after a rough cut had already been created. I had a video call with Giuliano (as we live in completely different countries) where we discussed the plot of the movie and how he wanted certain sections to be expressed with the music. I also had an in-depth cue sheet with timings and everything, which really helped me know the exact intentions of Giuliano. He was amazing at making the process seamless and making sure I was going in the right direction.
Was it your choice to go with a lively Medieval composition for LaBouche’s theme? It reveals so much of her personality and childlike nature.
From the start, Giuliano had that musical genre in mind, and he sent me a couple of references so that I could match that style, and I just really went with it. It worked well for me as I had worked with more traditional instrumentation during my time at university, but I was then able to contrast it with the more electronic sounds for Rivil’s themes. My favourite was when I had to merge the two themes together, Labouche’s and Rivil’s, as it almost feels like a puzzle to try and fit the harmonic and melodic ideas together cohesively.
Did you perform on the final tracks as well? Who did the mixing?
All of the flute playing and female vocals are me! So I got to really put all of myself into this music, and it was fun to try and mix that all together. But yes, I composed and mixed most of the tracks — Emiliano Biagio Manzillo is responsible for some of the tracks as well, mostly source music, and he did a great job there too.
What about the lyrics to “LaBouche’s Salterello?” Were you given them or did you write them?
I came up with all the lyrics and got them approved by Giuliano. This was a bit nerve-wracking as lyricism isn’t my strong suit, but I knew that Giuliano really wanted her name to be a big focus with some repetition there, and I used lines from the film in the lyrics too. Since I was the vocalist, I also had to make sure I was writing things in my vocal range!
Did you face any challenges while working on this project?
The hardest challenge for me was that half-way through working on this project, I was moving house! I had set up my desk in our empty living room to record while we had no furniture anywhere else. Also, there were times when I had no Wi-Fi when I needed to send things to the director. It was a stressful time, but that made it very memorable!
Do you enjoy horror? What are your favorite films (horror or otherwise)?
I do enjoy horror, although I’m usually covering my ears in case of jump scares! Generally, I enjoy something that’s more on the thriller end, like something where you kind of go “what the hell did I just watch?!” as opposed to something paranormal. But to be honest, I’ll give anything a go. I also love any film that can make me cry or laugh, or both. For nostalgia, I love the Harry Potter movies; you just can’t beat that feeling. An example of something I watched recently that I loved was Eternity. I watched that the other day in cinemas and I laughed and bawled my eyes out, so to me it was perfect.
What advice do you have for someone who wants to do what you do?
Keep going. I’m still telling myself that too. Music is a tough industry to actually book work in, as it’s so competitive, but just keep putting yourself out there, keep loving what you do, and keep creating!
Are independent projects important?
Absolutely. For many reasons. It allows so many people to do the things they love, and it allows more art to be created! If anyone out there is thinking of starting a project, just do it. Keep creating the things that you want to make.
Is there anything coming up or that you’ve completed that you’d like to talk about?
Recently, I’ve been working on the music for a couple of video games, which is very exciting! One game is called One Summer Holiday, which is a cozy, life-sim, farming game, great for fans of games like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley. I have been writing some very calming, warm, and cozy tracks for that. Another one is called The Dreamlurker, and this is more of a narrative-driven puzzle game, similar to things like Limbo, or even Celeste. The music for this was a lot sadder and deeper, so it was on a completely different end of the spectrum. Both games are available to wishlist on Steam if you are interested!
How can people follow and support you?
The best place to go is my website, which is samanthabirdmusic.com. This will link you to all of my stuff, from Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, etc. and keep you updated on the new projects I am working on.
LaBouche Canalla Wins Her Snack is an atmospheric movie that baffles and seduces. It confounds logical presumptions while indulging the viewer’s visceral nature. Here are Entertaining Options‘ key takeaways:
- Giuliano Tomassacci’s story is intoxicatingly perplexing, something you’ll ponder for days, weeks, or months after watching.
- Claudio Losavio’s deft portrayal of the enigmatic and seemingly all-knowing yet curiously naïve stranger is essential for heightening the tension between Rivil and his insatiably hungry and unpredictable adversary, LaBouche Canalla.
- Olivia Victoria G. drenches LaBouche in a whimsical evil that is both childlike and brutal. She’s a genuinely likable, carefree cannibal with a light-up-the-room charisma.
- Samantha Bird’s music flawlessly expresses all of the above. She gives the movie a soul and triggers emotional cues while creating beautiful tracks that hold their own as individual compositions.
Admittedly, LaBouche Canalla Wins Her Snack is not for everyone. It is a perplexing horror film with disturbing visuals that aren’t for the timid. But we highly recommend it as a must-see movie. It features a strong female lead with a villainous arc and has science fiction overtones with a smattering of intense gore. Currently, you can stream LaBouche Canalla Wins Her Snack on Screamify.
Entertaining Options 