Jens Bjørnkjær: The Musical Visionary Behind Netflix's Top 10 Documentary Tell Them You Love Me

Published on in Exclusive Interviews

Jens Bjørnkjær, the composer behind Netflix’s hit documentary Tell Them You Love Me, brings an unparalleled depth of emotion to the film’s powerful storytelling. Now streaming globally after premiering at several international film festivals, the documentary’s score stands out as a cinematic achievement in itself. Jens composed every piece of music and played an array of instruments—including violin, cello, piano, flute, clarinet, and drums—to create a feature-film-quality soundscape.

His ability to infuse each scene with emotional resonance elevates the narrative, transforming interviews into a dynamic and engaging journey. At the heart of his work lies the poignant end theme, which encapsulates the audience's experience, blending worry, relief, sadness, and hope into a stunning orchestral finale. Beyond composing, Jens is a member of the art collective O Future, where his creative pursuits span music, theater, and visual digital art.

PH: "Tell Them You Love Me" has received significant attention. How did you approach composing the music for this documentary to ensure it resonated with the emotions of each scene?

Jens Bjørnkjær: The director, Nick August Perna and I discussed in detail what every specific scene was about and the emotions attached to each. From that viewpoint, I constructed a bunch of different themes and vibes that would fit these emotional foundations, and we would then try different things out for each one. 

PH: You played various instruments for this score, including violin, cello, piano, and more. How did you decide which instruments to use for different parts of the film, and how did you manage such a diverse range of sounds?

Jens Bjørnkjær: The decision to use any instrument comes from intuition. My work process is a lot like a painter who just starts painting without exactly knowing where to go. After a while, something presents itself, and a clear picture and an idea emerge from the work itself. That's when you start to know what you are actually doing and what instruments are right for it. 

PH: The ending theme of the film is particularly noted for capturing a spectrum of emotions. Can you describe the creative process behind this piece and how you arrived at the final version with the piano, cello, and horns?

Jens Bjørnkjær: The end theme had to capture a range of emotions since the viewer, at that point, has been going through the whole film with the ups and downs and now has to somehow tie them all together into some kind of serious conclusion in regards to the profundity of the subject matter. However, there is also a level of hope and joy that the family now feels that should be transcended into the audience when you leave the cinema or turn off the TV. It was again a process of trial and error to reach the final version using those instruments. 

PH: With many interviews in the documentary, how did you ensure the music enhanced the narrative without overshadowing the spoken content?

Jens Bjørnkjær: Since the film is an interview documentary, I wanted to make an effort to use the music as a divider and have it play an important role in distinguishing the different people and emotions by having a lot of strong melodic themes being played in spite of the amount of talking going on above the music. I felt like this could be done by composing melodies and vibes that would lean into what was being said, so it all strengthened the narrative of what that particular person was actually saying and, in that sense, did not overshadow but emphasize. 

PH: You mentioned creating two different versions of the end theme before settling on the final one. What were the key differences between the versions, and how did you decide on the final arrangement?

Jens Bjørnkjær: The difference was a difference in emotional quality. As far as I remember, the other ones were too dark and serious. And the one we ended up picking just hit the right amount of seriousness and hope at the same time. 

PH: As a member of the art collective O Future, you’ve worked on a variety of projects beyond film scores. How does your work with O Future influence your approach to film and documentary music?

Jens Bjørnkjær: All my work influences each other. I experience the work process very similarly, whether it’s film, art, or just music without any images attached. It’s all about creativity, being able to come up with remarkable ideas as well as the actual execution comes in. Ideas are the fundament of my work; without them, I can only execute mediocrity. 

PH: What was the most challenging aspect of scoring "Tell Them You Love Me," and how did you overcome it?

Jens Bjørnkjær: The challenge was to create an almost continuous score that supported the narrative and did not overshadow any text that was being said in the interviews. Also threading the needle of the film's premise of telling this complicated story in a way that an audience would be able to follow without losing interest or sensing it too complicated. 

PH: How do you balance the needs of a documentary score with the unique artistic vision of each project? Are there specific strategies or principles you follow?

Jens Bjørnkjær: I wanted to make the score a key player in the telling of this extraordinary story and help the story along, creating music that has a profound significance all the way through. Every single piece has been thought about in the most minute detail, and my principle was the same as always. What can I do to help tell this story in the best possible way? 

PH: Can you share any insights or stories about working with the filmmakers on this project? How did their vision shape your musical contributions?

Jens Bjørnkjær: The director and I actually never met until the premiere, so all communication was done by phone or Skype etc., since I was in LA or Europe and he was in New York. I really was inspired by his creative vision of making this film a high and normal-brow kind of documentary that now has proven itself to both win at festivals and also appeal to all sorts of normal people since it went viral and became number one on Netflix. This is a very difficult thing to do, and I have enormous respect for anyone who can thread that needle. 

PH: Looking ahead, are there any particular projects or genres you’re excited to explore next in your career?

Jens Bjørnkjær: I am currently working on a documentary about the Indonesian Reak culture, which is about going into trance and connecting with your ancestors. It is an amazing story. And I am also with O Future, creating a huge audio-visual art exhibition for The Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen. So my career, thankfully, is taking me into all sorts of different areas of, what I fundamentally consider the same, namely creative explorations of the human condition. What is this all about, and how can we explore and explain it?

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