From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla (born 19 August 1951) is an Argentine musician, film composer and producer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score in two consecutive years, for Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and Babel in 2006. Description above from the Wikipedia article Gustavo Santaolalla, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 19, 1951 (75)
- El Palomar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Composer and producer, also writer
- 36 on MovieCove · 62 credits in all
What are Gustavo Santaolalla's films like?
Across their 29 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 26
Light 3 · Serious 10 · Dark 14
A split, not a type: Grounded 17 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 4
A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 7 · Intense 14
A split, not a type: Steady 11 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 6
Straight-faced 21 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 0
Slow burn 17 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 1
Casual 5 · Engaged 17 · Full focus 5
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 16
A split, not a type: Resolved 16 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 6
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet17
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous6
- Other1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Gustavo Santaolalla's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 25 of their 36 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (7).
- Howdy, show their 2 titles on Howdy
- Sundance Now, show their 2 titles on Sundance Now
- Dox, show their title on Dox
- France Channel, show their title on France Channel
- Lionsgate+, show their title on Lionsgate+
- Magnolia Selects, show their title on Magnolia Selects
- Qello Concerts, show their title on Qello Concerts
Subscription and free streaming for Gustavo Santaolalla's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
62 credits, 36 with a MovieCove page; 13 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Norita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Pedro Páramo(2024)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Arco Iris, música y filosofía (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Ayahuasca Now (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Pleiades (or Going Home) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Dear Child(2023)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows
Wild Life(2023)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
The Last of Us(2023)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
Seremos millones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Alone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
The House(2022)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Finch(2021)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Maya and the Three(2021)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
El Cid(2020)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
The Fight(2020)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Gustavo Santaolalla - Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Café Tacvba - Un Segundo / MTV Unplugged (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
The City Where Children Disappear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Postman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
El cine a través de la música (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Narcos: Mexico(2018)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
All That Divides Us(2017)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
To End a War(2017)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Before the Flood(2016)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all filmsLe Sang des Hardes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Borrowed Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Jane the Virgin(2014)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
The Book of Life(2014)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Wild Tales(2014)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Rouge Brésil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
August: Osage County(2013)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Néstor Kirchner, la película (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
El Ocaso del Macá Tobiano (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
On the Road(2012)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Eva from the Argentina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
His Mother's Eyes(2011)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Biutiful(2010)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Dhobi Ghat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Nanga Parbat(2010)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
South of the Border(2009)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
I Come with the Rain(2009)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Linha de Passe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
MTV Unplugged: Julieta Venegas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Café de los maestros(2008)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Common Ground: Under Construction Notes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Bajofondo Tango Club - Supervielle en el Solis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Babel(2006)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Brokeback Mountain(2005)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
North Country(2005)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
The Motorcycle Diaries(2004)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
21 Grams(2003)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
September 11(2002)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Amores Perros(2000)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Hollywood Erotic Film Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
She Dances Alone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Íntegro, Integro, Integró (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 60 titles, 59 of them dated from 1981 to 2024.
Biggest box office
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Highest rated
Grounded: Making the Last of Us (2013)
Most popular right now
Amores Perros (2000)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
2 Oscars, a Golden Globe, 2 BAFTA Awards and 2 other major awards from 18 major nominations, 2004–2023.
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score)
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Music
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Original Music
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
- Grammy Award, won · Best Latin Pop Album
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
- Oscar, won · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
- BAFTA Award, won
+2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Composer
- Oscar, won · Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
- Golden Globe, won · Best Original Song - Motion Picture
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Original Score - Motion Picture
- BAFTA Award, nominated
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Composer
Show 2 earlier yearsShow fewer
- BAFTA Award, won
- Grammy Award, won · Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Gustavo Santaolalla's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 83rd percentile, the median of all 29; across their 27 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 80th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up22
- 50th to 74th8
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
14 of their 36 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved14
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the sound and music 66/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Gustavo Santaolalla's work okay for kids?
Across up to 17 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Gustavo Santaolalla work with?
People who share at least 2 of Gustavo Santaolalla's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rodrigo Prieto shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Alejandro G. IñárrituShared titles: Before the Flood (2016), Biutiful (2010), Babel (2006), 21 Grams (2003), Amores Perros (2000)See all 5 shared titles with Alejandro G. Iñárritu
- Walter SallesShared titles: On the Road (2012), Café de los maestros (2008), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)See all 3 shared titles with Walter Salles
- Jorge R. GutiérrezShared titles: Maya and the Three (2021), The Book of Life (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Jorge R. Gutiérrez
- Thierry KlifaShared titles: All That Divides Us (2017), His Mother's Eyes (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Thierry Klifa
Writers
- Guillermo ArriagaShared titles: Babel (2006), 21 Grams (2003), Amores Perros (2000)See all 3 shared titles with Guillermo Arriaga
- Doug LangdaleShared titles: Maya and the Three (2021), The Book of Life (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Doug Langdale
- Jose RiveraShared titles: On the Road (2012), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Jose Rivera
Actors
- Gael García BernalShared titles: Babel (2006), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), Amores Perros (2000)See all 3 shared titles with Gael García Bernal
- Carlos AlazraquiShared titles: Maya and the Three (2021), The Book of Life (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Carlos Alazraqui
- Diego LunaShared titles: Maya and the Three (2021), The Book of Life (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Diego Luna
- Zoe SaldañaShared titles: Maya and the Three (2021), The Book of Life (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Zoe Saldaña
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Rodrigo PrietoShared titles: Pedro Páramo (2024), Biutiful (2010), Babel (2006), Brokeback Mountain (2005), 21 Grams (2003), Amores Perros (2000)See all 6 shared titles with Rodrigo Prieto
- Stephen MirrioneShared titles: August: Osage County (2013), Biutiful (2010), Babel (2006), 21 Grams (2003)See all 4 shared titles with Stephen Mirrione
- Juan LuquiShared titles: Dear Child (2023), The Fight (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Juan Luqui
- Julien HirschShared titles: All That Divides Us (2017), His Mother's Eyes (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Julien Hirsch
Producers
- Wes LuiShared titles: Maya and the Three (2021), The Book of Life (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Wes Lui
- Adrian PolitowskiShared titles: All That Divides Us (2017), His Mother's Eyes (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Adrian Politowski
- Nadia KhamlichiShared titles: All That Divides Us (2017), His Mother's Eyes (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Nadia Khamlichi
- Guillermo del ToroShared titles: The Book of Life (2014), Biutiful (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Guillermo del Toro
