STRANGE POWERS: STEPHIN MERRITT AND THE MAGNETIC FIELDS

Editor, 2010

Directed by Kerthy Fix.

World Premiere, SXSW 2010. Official selections, Hot Docs and Full Frame Film Festivals, 2010. Winner, Best Documentary Feature, OutFest 2010

Songwriter Stephin Merritt is known as "the Cole Porter of his generation" for his memorable melodies, lovelorn lyrics and wry musical stylings. Shot over a period of 10 years, "Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields" explores his friendship with his longtime bandmate and manager Claudia Gonson. Through his recording and songwriting process, the film traces a 20-year career that has yielded one of the most engaging bodies of work in the contemporary American songbook. 

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"A highly polished take." - NPR

"Well-crafted ... Sure to turn on new listeners." - Variety

"Most fan-docs are fairly remedial, but Strange Powers is more sophisticated than the norm ... What sets Strange Powers apart is how [the film evokes] the peculiar headspace Merritt occupies while he’s working."  - AV CLUB

"Strange Powers moves with lightness, verve and charm ... It's an endearing and absorbing film." - The Oregonian