Oak Tree: Photo by The Mollusc Dimension

Sometimes things seem pretty hopeless. But from recent examples to our ancient ancestors, in times of pain and despair, humans have called upon the power of stories.

We are surrounded not just by stories but storytellers. These days, we are more likely to encounter storytellers in the form of films, music videos, songs on Spotify. On platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, they even called one of their features, “Stories”. A chance encounter outside the shops or a new curiosity about a crotchety family member could lead to a story.

Today, I want to tell the story of a very powerful and mysterious 8-part film story by the brilliant director, Kai Fi'ain. I composed the music for his film a few years ago, in 2018. It was called Escape From The Law of Octaves, but now it’s called Seventh Son. It is a magical realist story.

“Seventh Son is a performance piece; filmed and then animated. Its an illustration of one person’s internal world while journeying through the process of gender transition. Using performance, mask, mythic symbolism and animation techniques, I wanted to create a short film that referenced the existence and acceptance of gender variant people in mythology and folk law, to place us in history and to show that we have always existed. It was also important for me to create a narrative that provided a different kind of story, one of positivity and spiritual evolution despite the challenges involved.” (KAI FI’AIN)

There are scary bits but ! SPOILERS ! I want to reassure you that it turns out ok in the end. Honestly, for LGBTIQ+, we need survival stories to keep us going. When Kai told me the story for the first time, I knew it was a film I wanted to work on.

Are you ready for my interpretation of Kai's story?

There was a tree who dreamed of being a human. ------------ No that's not the story. I'll start again.

SPOILERS!

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Once there was a young person I'll call him Cedar. That's not his name but it makes it easier to tell the story. It also sounds like “seed”. Cedar lived with his family in a white room with white walls. He was a connection between their parents.

But one day.. something very bad happened.

His father counted money.

His mother woke them up.

Cedar tried to wash away the very badness. He made a circle of magic for self-protection.

Then, he burnt the house down.

Before he knew it, Cedar was trapped in a horrible room with a buzzing light. He had no idea how long he was in there. (He is naked from this part of the story on.)

After this came the sound of rain. It rained in the room. It rained in Cedar's head. It rained in his heart.

Cedar woke up to find he was dead and the crows were calling.

In the 8th chapter, Cedar is alive! He is sitting on a beautiful mountainside by a rippling stream. Nature transformed him and now parts of his body are gold! The sky and the music are singing with the joy and preciousness of life.

The story ends (for now).

Some people might notice that all the way through the story, the tree watches the character through the window. The character is facing away from the window, so I don't know if they can see the tree.

Humans think we control nature. But the nature or the memory of nature holds us and observes us – even in our most difficult times.

If you have a memory of nature drop it in the comments below!

Escape From the Law of Octaves was directed and performed by Kai Fi'ain who made all the masks and scenery.
He was assisted by Sara Budd. He made the award-winning film, The Brother and is working on Dippers and Oysters.

I hired a cellist (Tamara Douglas-Morris) and a Sound Engineer (The Sound Mechanic) to record the music.
I played the piano and mixed it. The sound engineer mastered it.
The film was screened at Espacio Gallery (London) and Whitechapel Art Gallery (Free Screenings).
More screenings were planned but sadly have been delayed due to Covid-19.

You can listen to the music here on SoundCloud now. It’s coming soon on Spotify.

You can check out the film stills here on Kai’s website.

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Nature represents hope in challenging times - Music for a magical tale of courage & survival