It’s been said before, but this Guardian article is a good excuse to say it again. Filmmakers need to lay off using Arvo Pärt in their soundtracks. This is especially the case with the Pärt composition Für Alina, which continues to crop up in at least 2 or 3 films a year. Every time I hear it I immediately think of what was its definitive use: Gus Van Zant’s GERRY.

Indeed at one of my first Cannes screenings this year, Emily Atef’s THE STRANGER IN ME, as soon as the lights went down there it was—that distinctive note that begins the piece. I had to roll my eyes, and resisted the urge to run out of the theatre.

But what I really wonder is, has anyone ever commissioned Mr. Pärt to create a film soundtrack? Given the right film, it would be interesting to hear what he would come up with.