Cinema has repeatedly used the cello as a shorthand for sensitivity, intensity and emotional depth, with a new Pedro Pascal film, Behemoth!, continuing that tradition. The article argues that the instrument has become almost a character in its own right because its sound and physical performance communicate emotion without dialogue.

Cellist and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir says the cello resembles the human voice in range and expressive intonation, while its bowing is visually compelling on screen. Examples range from Audrey Hepburn in Love in the Afternoon to Hilary and Jackie, Tár and A Late Quartet; The Soloist even changed Nathaniel Ayers’s instrument from double bass to cello for the film.