Rent The Inertia Variations (2017)
3.7 of 5 from 46 ratings
1h 24min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Taking its inspiration from the eponymous book of poems by John Tottenham, Johanna St. Michaels' 'The Inertia Variations' is a deep, moving, and meaningful insight into the life and work of Matt Johnson from The The. The film opens with images of an animated Johnson overseeing the rooftop installation of a striking, illuminated sculpture (an artistic representation of a radio mast) to symbolise the birth of his 'shortwave radio' station Radio Cineola. Turning the clock back to the outset of this project, we find Johnson gradually extracting himself from the clutches of creative inertia and embarking on his mission to harness a dying medium and hijack the airwaves. Preparing to communicate with the world once again, he muses on the highs and lows of the creative process, contemplating his prolonged silence as a singer/songwriter and revisiting his highly successful career in the 1980s-90s. As the launch of Radio Cineola draws near, the pressure mounts to write and perform a new The The song for broadcast. Having not sung for over a decade, Johnson initially wrestles with the resurrection of his musical alter-ego - but time, life, and art eventually conspire to provide him with the perfect bittersweet inspiration. It's a fraught and emotional journey, and when we finally reach its poignantly joyful resolution, St Michaels' film blossoms as we witness a powerful new The The rising majestically from the daunting memories of past glories, fuelled by love, loss, and Johnson's deep spiritual obligation to his art. Captured at a pivotal point in his creative life, 'The Inertia Variations' is an endearingly candid picture of this extraordinary British artist, and with the enigmatic Johnson valiantly exposing his heart on his sleeve, St. Michaels has turned his hesitation atxhe artistic crossroads into a compelling work of conceptual art in its own right. - Actors:
- Matt Johnson, Johanna St Michaels, Tim Pope, Jackson Ewald Johnson, Thierry Somers, Helen Edwards, Andrew Johnson, Eddie Johnson, Gerard Johnson, John Tottenham, Iain Berryman, Tom Bright, James Eller, Thomas Feiner, Liz Horsman, Meja Kullersten, Colin Lloyd Tucker, Zeke Manyika, Chris Whitten, Lars Andersson
- Directors:
- Johanna St Michaels
- Producers:
- Matt Johnson, Johanna St Michaels
- Writers:
- Matt Johnson, Johanna St Michaels, John Tottenham
- Studio:
- earMUSIC
- Genres:
- Documentary, Music & Musicals, Performing Arts, Special Interest
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 28/11/2025
- Run Time:
- 84 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Stereo
- Subtitles:
- English, German
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Niall Greig Fulton - From his programme notes for the Edinburgh International Film Festival
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