20th anniversary release of the original score from the 2006 drama comedy feature film directed by Goran Dukic, starring Will Arnett, Leslie Bibb and Abraham Benrubi, produced by No Matter Pictures, Crispy Films, Adam Sherman and Halcyon Films, released by Autonomous Films (USA), Halcyon Pictures (UK) and Kanibal Films Distribution (France).

THE STORY: People meet at a strange afterlife way station that has been reserved for people who have committed suicide.

THE SCORE: “For the original score to Wristcutters: A Love Story, director Goran Dukic wanted to have the instrumentation reflect the world of the film, which is set in a sort of purgatory afterlife reserved for people who have committed suicide. The characters live in a realm that is similar to their previous lives, but everything there is ‘a little worse’, so Goran wanted the music to sound as if it was being played on broken down, discarded instruments that nobody would want anymore. On this score, I used acoustic instruments exclusively and played everything myself – experimenting with treatments, preparations, and performance techniques to try to come up with a unique sonic palette for the film. Some of the more unusual instruments I used included bowed saw, blown bottles, prepared (and ruined) pianos, bamboo chimes, detuned banjo, and various stringed instruments played with mallets, bamboo skewers, bows, and wire brushes. I found this process endlessly inspiring and I become compelled by the idea of writing simple, beautiful music and performing it on flawed, imperfect instruments – which struck me as being much like people.” – Bobby Johnston

THE COMPOSER: Bobby Johnston is a Los Angeles-based film composer and multi-instrumentalist. His composing credits include original scores for directors Stuart Gordon, Larry Clark, Charlie Kaufman, Lee Shallat-Chemel, Drake Doremus, and Darren Lynn Bousman. In 2016, his score to the documentary City of Gold by Laura Gabbert was placed on several “best of” lists, including Apple/iTunes’ 25 Best Soundtrack Albums of the Year (#13), and Nylon Magazine’s 8 Best Movie Scores of the Year (Summer, 2016). Johnston has composed original music for film, television, commercials, museum exhibits, and major theme parks (San Diego Zoo). His music has also been featured extensively on the popular radio program “This American Life”. Johnston’s recent credits include the acclaimed documentaries Bleed Out (HBO) and Shopping Cart People, for which his original score garnished several festival awards. His score for the documentary Death & Taxes was released by MovieScore Media’s documentary soundtrack label Reality Bytes last year.

MMS26650 DISCOVERY COLLECTION VOL. 25
WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY (Original Motion Picture Score)
Music Composed by BOBBY JOHNSTON
Release date: June 5, 2026