The Leroy Soundtrack Album | Music for a film that does not exist…

Leroy was written and directed by Cindy Froegher with an original score by Manar Hashmi (myself). It should be noted that Cindy Froegher’s existence has yet to be confirmed; however, she is truly a visionary of her generation, according to those familiar with her work.

It follows, then, that the film which I had the pleasure to compose the music for has not been released in theaters, and will likely not see the light of day for the foreseeable future, due to the impossibility of obtaining the final cut from Ms. Froegher’s production company.

I have been authorized, as far as I can tell, to divulge some details of the plot and the main character, so far as to enhance the listener’s appreciation of the soundtrack album. Beyond a cursory synopsis, the details of this film will be best left to your imagination.

It may be difficult to reconcile the cheerful and agile score with the fact that the movie is, in fact, an apocalypse movie in which the main character is frequently in tears as he struggles to find away around fate. However, that is the joy of the collaboration between director and composer. Cindy specifically wanted the music to belie a candy-coated, child-like take on our beautiful, devastated and fragile world.

This has been a deeply personal project for both of us. Speaking for myself, I have been by turns depressed and agitated by the state of the world, with both the natural and human aspects of our little existence seemingly teetering on a brink.

Leroy finds himself in a similar situation. In his alternate, Earth-esque world, deadly weather events are always lurking on the horizon and apparently unjustified animosity among neighbors is turning societies into unlivable places.

Working on this soundtrack, I had to question my own feelings about what notions of life on Earth I hold sacred, and which ones I need to gently release, in order to move forward and not spend every day in a stupor of self-pity and catastrophic thinking. Leroy’s journey takes a rather extreme version of this process of letting go, but I think the point is well made.

Plot Synopsis | For what it’s worth…

Leroy takes place in a world resembling ours where the apocalypse is looming. 

The landscape and architecture is quasi-European, with vintage cars and colorful British-style suits and sweaters. People use typewriters and write letters and spend time outside. Within this cheerful and idyllic exterior, there is discontent within the society. A sort of communal unease. Magnificent and quaint buildings alike are threatening to collapse, with bizarre structural problems possibly attributable to lack of maintenance. The weather is weird; air pollution wafts into the area frequently, and it stirs up hate and fear within the population. The film is shot so that the wider angles show a beautiful (if fragile) harmonious landscape and the tighter shots tend to focus on people griping or squabbling or interacting with the decay of their physical environment. 

Climate change as we know it hasn’t happened in this alternate world, yet the film is constantly referencing existential ideas related to humankind’s self-extinction. Montage-style scenes of extreme weather are centerpieces in the film’s construction. 

Leroy is a young man from a wealthy family. He is very altruistic and a dreamer, rather than a conniving businessman. He had a sheltered childhood and was raised to believe anything was possible. 

When his grandfather died (leaving him a portion of the estate), he began to feel a sense of responsibility as a citizen, and noticed the crumbling foundations of his community—then a sort of unfinished city-state run by an obscure and unapproachable governing body. 

A weather event in the form of a cloud of toxic fog and pollution approaches, causing a scuffle as people try to seal their windows; yet there is a sense that this happens a lot and is fairly routine. Small squabbles do not escalate and are part of the usual backdrop. 

Leroy enters a dream state that is brought on by the toxic fog. When he wakes up, he is Mayor of the city. Grim pomp and circumstance greet him when he wakes up and takes his breakfast while signing papers. Seizing his opportunity, he decides to finish building the city into one that is indestructible and a habitat of peace and community. One with gardens and concert halls (essentially a utopia for all but which particularly embraces certain ideals of society like the arts and nature). 

Much of the city must be built from scratch. And the citizens, restless and bored, are willing to help. There is hope. There are smiles. People make jokes while they work and stop to enjoy lemonade. 

Of course, once the city is built, Leroy has to govern it. He believes it is his duty to do the best job he can to make everyone happy. It’s a lofty goal, and practically impossible. He cries while giving a speech. He faces skepticism from his community. The weather gets worse. He tells himself it is okay as long as the unrest is directed only at him, but eventually people become complacent among themselves. Trash builds up, gardens get overgrown, and Leroy’s sister moves away to find somewhere quieter. They write letters but Leroy is intensely affected by his closest ally’s inability to cope with life in the city. 

Leroy realizes that in spite of people’s unhappiness with him, they would also be unfit to do his job any better. He thinks of leaving and then makes himself stay. The city’s economy starts to devolve as people begin to steal things and stop going to work, reminding Leroy of human nature’s tendency to self-destruct in the absence of hope. 

He stands on a hill and sees a large cloud of dust obscuring the rest of the world. He cries again.

Leroy’s personality is unfailingly optimistic. He wants to believe in a future. However, he is also very sensitive to reality and very observant. Entropy is not taking any prisoners. 

Ultimately, the apocalypse comes. Leroy is satisfied that he has exhausted all possibilities and avenues for survival. What remains is to remember the good times and relax rather than joining the panicked fray. People gather around him, attracted to his tolerance of the end of the world. They come together in community to watch the toxic fog destroy the lands to the east. 

Having brought his city to acceptance, acknowledging that some situations can’t be solved by even the strongest of wills, Leroy finally wakes up in his old life. He sees his sister one more time and he tells her there is nothing more they could do, and the apocalypse swallows everything. 

For Leroy, it is not a loss but a triumph over the things that made his heart and mind race with regrets and fears. 

He had done what he could.