Hot Docs

Described as both a genius and a misanthrope, Stephin Merritt has earned a reputation as the Cole Porter of independent music on the one hand and an indie rock curmudgeon on the other. Shot over a period of 10 years, Strange Powers takes us inside his unusual world. Focusing on his relationship with his longtime Magnetic Fields bandmate and manager, Claudia Gonson, this fascinating film traces a 20-year relationship that has yielded one of the most confounding bodies of work in the American songbook. Merritt and Gonson—once described as Fleetwood Mac without the sex and drugs—face a professional and personal challenge when Merritt leaves New York for Los Angeles. How will La-La land affect his cantankerous sensibilities? The doc features interviews with Peter Gabriel, Sarah Silverman, and other notable fans and contemporaries. - Shannon Abel

Media Coverage

NOW Magazine (4-star Review), Eye Weekly (Capsule Review)