Robert Ouyang Rusli Announces Original Score for Julio Torres' PROBLEMISTA Film From A24

Brooklyn, NY film composer & recording artist Robert Ouyang Rusli announced that their original score for writer and director Julio Torres’ (SNL, Los Espookys) new film, Problemista, will be released alongside the movie’s public premiere on August 4 via A24 Music.

The announcement arrives with two previews from Rusli’s imaginative 53-track score. “Monument to Possibilities” draws from hypnotic minimal music and soars into full orchestral and choral melodies for a pure ode to art and creativity in all its forms.

In contrast, “Huele a Fraude” is a pop song produced by OHYUNG (the solo recording project of Rusli), which features vocalist STEFA* and lyrics by the two artists in collaboration with Torres. It’s a sparkling anthem about the continuous struggle of trying to live in New York City.

On the project, Rusli shared: “The score for Problemista was the most ambitious project I’ve ever worked on, and lasted a full year. I’m really proud of this score and it feels super personal to me—there are so many ideas that I’ve never been able to get into a film – things like chanting choirs, patterned marimbas, euphoric pop – and many of them fit so naturally into Julio’s strange world.

I’ve been scoring films for a while but rarely work on comedies, but Julio’s style of comedy is very in line with mine. I make my own music under the name OHYUNG, and a lot of what I try to do as an artist outside of film scoring is creating music and art that observes beauty and critiques forces of power around me in strange ways, and Julio’s comedy does the same, so it felt like a perfect match.”

Problemista is about Alejandro, an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream.

From writer/director Julio Torres comes a surreal adventure through the equally treacherous worlds of New York City and the U.S. Immigration system. The film premiered earlier this year at South by Southwest, and stars Torres alongside Tilda Swinton, RZA (Wu-Tang Clan), Isabella Rossellini, Larry Owens, Catalina Saavedra, and Greta Lee.

Problemista (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is out August 4 via A24 Music and is available to presave & preorder here.

photo by Acudus Aranyian

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