I was at a crucial time in my life when The Beach came out. It was the last semester of university, and the uncertainty of “professional life” was a constant worry. I actually saw the movie in Monterrey, as I was at a symposium where things got…dicey. Supposedly, I had to go to an ice-breaker activity at a nearby cabrito restaurant. I skipped it because I actually feared for my integrity. Bad decisions and their consequences eventually caught up with me.

I kept thinking about The Beach way longer than I expected. I’m two minds about Danny Boyle: he can make a classic like Shallow grave or 28 days later or he can fumble the story like in trainspotting 2 or A life less ordinary. It’s a crap shoot watching any film of his, which is frustrating as he’s got an eye for cool visuals and spinning yarns.

With that said, the music is always top notch. Even a major disappointment like A life less ordinary has Beck’s best song (Deadweight). Trainspotting 2 had Wolf Alice as the film’s calling card, as it was on most trailers, and I’m happy they got major exposure out of it.

The soundtrack for The Beach is a perfect mixtape for any backpacker traveling between 98 and 2000. It has the staple pop hits and the electronica staples of the era. Leftfield, Underworld, Asian Dub Foundation, Faithless. All terrific bands I was super into in those days. Blur’s remix is perfect for the video game section of the movie, and I’m pretty sure Moby has a career thanks to Porcelain being ubiquitous in all trailers for this flick, which was DiCaprio’s first after the monster hit Titanic. He took over Ewan McGregor, who wasn’t a proven star according to the American producers of the flick. Shame, I’d love to see what he could do with the role, even if he’s faltered as an actor and as a person in later years.

Orbital take Angelo Badalamenti’s gorgeous score and make a melancholic downtempo track that feels like the end of an evening of unsuccessful clubbing. I could hear the song several times after leaving clubs on my own when I was living in Nottingham, when I really got into clubbing. I guess inherent sadness on many things I enjoyed was akin to Richard’s own in the film. That melancholy pervades Orbital’s remix, which always respects Badalamenti’s composition with utter respect love. Similar to what they pulled on Event Horizon.

It’s weird, I loved living in Nottingham, but there were days where I would just think about the two weeks I spent living in Cancún in 2002, looking for part time jobs, swimming, clubbing, and generally eating too many good things.

I eventually read Garland’s novel in 2022. I have no idea why it took me so long, but I got a copy on Kindle and spent every break on my previous job reading. I think I never managed to get along with anyone in that job because I could only find comfort in reading. It’s strange, feeling isolated while working at a busy school. It’s a special type of loneliness I can’t quite put on words.

Just think of the sandy beaches and the white noise, man.

PS: Wow, 31 days of talking about soundtracks and movies. I might extended a few days the whole challenge.

-Sam J. Valdés López