Made for Love

Premiering April 1st on HBO Max, Made for Love is an adaptation of a novel by Alissa Nutting exploring the dystopian experience of Hazel Green (Cristen Milioti: How I Met Your Mother). Her husband Bryan, a billionaire technology entrepreneur, implants a chip in her brain, thinking total surveillance of Hazel’s thoughts and feelings would somehow be an acceptable idea.

The 2018 track “In Your Head” by Leyya features prominently from the outset, likely chosen as much for its recency and artistic clout as for its lyrics. While in some cases the music drives the tone of the trailer, the context of the plot is key here: “Let your mind shine for me, my friend” sounds a lot more sinister when there’s a lack of will or control over the proceedings.

The music takes a pause at 0:21 to explain the aforementioned plot details; at first, the arrangement seems cautiously worthwhile, as we see the couple’s surroundings at a dinner instantaneously change—there are clearly benefits. However, as the single-note motif returns at 0:47 for a moment, we know it’s not working out. Notice the clever editing at 1:04 in particular as the music is paused alongside Hazel pausing the software interface. It’s “metadiegetic”—the soundtrack existing outside and parallel to the trailer as a whole while also interacting with the world, but only cut in synch with the software. This then carries over to the video edit, as we are suddenly given a scant few frames, literally scrubbing through Hazel’s memories as the song continues.

This moment makes the audioviewer eerily cognizant that the trailer itself is an edited construction, which cleverly lends insight into what Hazel is experiencing. Interestingly, the trailer also mixes in some comic relief in the form of Ray Romano as Hazel’s father; it also ends on a bit of a punchline.

As a whole, the trailer guides us through a tonal gradient, beginning with drama and borderline horror, and ending on something a little more on the side of quirky. Interestingly, the track “In Your Head” takes on a similar sort of progression, moving from a plodding, funereal tempo to something much more dynamic and intriguing. It represents the energy and fervour one can feel when exploring the moral-ethical issues that sci-fi scenarios are adept at posing and playing out. It also betrays a feeling of careful optimism for the fact that Hazel resists and isn’t resigned to the situation that her husband has placed her in.

— Curtis Perry