Description
Shy People is a 1987 drama film directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, the Russian director who early in his career was the screenwriting collaborator of the great Andrei Tarkovsky. The plot revolves around Diana, a successful New York journalist who is commissioned to write a piece about her distant relatives and their difficult lives deep in the bayous of Louisiana. Reluctantly, her wayward and drug-addicted teenage daughter Grace agrees to join her mother on the soul-searching trip to the Southern wetlands, resulting in a culture clash between the cosmopolitan and the rural, with devastating consequences. In true arthouse fashion, the film premiered at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival to acclaim but never received a wide release. However, Barbara Hershey did take home the award for Best Actress, for her role of Ruth, Diana's cousin.
Responsible for the soundtrack is the legendary kosmische outfit Tangerine Dream, led by Edgar Froese. Throughout the 80s they composed scores for more than 20 films, with many composed of reworked material from either the band's studio work or tracks that were work in progress. Their haunting, complex, multi-layered synth work combined with dreamlike vocals proved to be the perfect accompaniment to the palpable tension between Diana and her family. But, as always with Tangerine Dream, the score works perfectly well on its own too.
Shy People is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on white marbled vinyl and includes a fold-out replica of the original movie poster.
