A Life in Waves (2017)

I like it when I buy something and I'm told it comes with a free salad, or money off my next purchase (providing I was going to make a next purchase - a voucher for money off cosmetics when I buy my lunch at Boots doesn't really do anyone any favours - not me, not Boots the Chemist, which is paying for the money and ink, and not the poor tree whose life was given in order that I can have a useless coupon).

So, when I turned up a few minutes early to see A Life in Waves, a film that I'd chosen to see on the strength of the trailer alone, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a couple of people making arrangements for a Q&A session after what I presumed to be my film.

For those who've never heard of it, A Life in Waves is a documentary about the work of Susanne Ciani.

For those who've never heard of her, Susane Ciani is a musician and composer. who was a pioneer in the field of electronic music in the 1970s, and who was responsible for the sounds of a number of commercials from the end of that decade - including the Coca Cola pop-and-pour sound effect.

Anyway, back to the film. I'm sitting in a packed screen - apparently everyone else got the memo that I missed - and the woman who is going to be the facilitator for the Q&A gives us the brief rundown before the start of the film. I was expecting someone like the boom operator, or if we were lucky, the director to be the subject of the Q&A.

I wasn't lucky.

So the film itself is the story of a fascinating personality. Susanne Ciani comes across one of those people with whom you think you could spend hours chatting. I won't go into much in the way of detail - I knew nothing about this woman's life or career before I went in, so I had the pleasure of experiencing her story as an unfolding surprise. I wouldn't want to deny anyone else that pleasure.

The film itself is nicely told. It's interesting, moving, thought-provoking, and it's completely reliant on its subject, who fortunately is worth making a film about.

As for the subject of the Q&A, it turned out to be Susana Ciani herself, speaking over Skype - so in addition to the film, that was an extra half an hour spent in the company of a very interesting woman.

Better than lucky.