Attendees at the TIFF premiere of When Up the Hill were treated to a special musical performance by the film's lead actress, Vicky Krieps. Krieps surprised the audience by performing the closing theme song, 'Jill,' live at the event. The song, written by Krieps herself, was inspired by the character she portrays in the psychological ghost story directed by Samuel Van Grinsven.
In the film, Krieps plays a grieving widow who encounters her deceased partner's estranged son, portrayed by Dacre Montgomery. The storyline takes a supernatural turn as the spirit of the son's mother possesses both characters, leading to a dangerous and intriguing narrative.
Bankside Films is handling international distribution for When Up the Hill, with CAA Media Finance co-representing North American sales rights. Krieps shared that she has a unique creative process of writing a song for each character she embodies in her films. Previously, these songs were kept private and served as a personal outlet for her emotions during the filming process.
Krieps revealed that the practice of creating character-inspired songs began during her work on Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread, where she needed a method to separate herself from her roles to maintain a sense of normalcy in her personal life.
Collaborating with New Zealand musician Mark Perkins, known as Merk, Krieps has compiled an album featuring all the songs she has written for her film characters. The album, named after each character, includes the song 'Jill' from When Up the Hill.
During her live performance at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Perkins accompanied Krieps on guitar, marking her debut public performance of her character-inspired songs. Krieps mentioned plans to release the album in the future, although the exact details of its distribution are still under consideration.
