(500) Days of Summer was an incredible film, which can partly be credited to its fantastic music supervisor – Andrea Von Foerster – who has supervised and consulted for countless TV shows and films, including Modern Family and Chronicle.
Andrea Von Foerster’s decision to use the Smiths as a prominent feature in 500 Days’ soundtrack brings the 80s pop group to a new generation, weaving it seamlessly with modern greats such as ‘Sweet Disposition’ by Temper Trap.
The choice of this particular Smiths song sets the protagonist up as a completely hopeless romantic, which is ultimately the cause of his relationship’s demise. The narrative follows a very Smiths-ian theme – overwrought love and some kind of depressing fate. ‘There is a Light’ is up-beat and bright sounding, perfectly representing the beginning of their relationship.
The entire soundtrack for this film is brilliant, also most notably the use of Regina Spektor’s ‘Hero’ during the ‘Expectations vs Reality’ scene (as well as the score produced by Mychael Danna & Rob Simonsen), but there is something beautiful about a scene where the protagonist very clearly falls in love, even to such a terribly foreboding song.
The Film DJ 