“Life seems to throw you curve balls, but I believe you’re given what you can take,” says Chad Matthews in Then Sings My Soul. The short doc, which debuted today for free streaming at NFB.ca, is a folksy and down to earth character study of an artist and the vicissitudes of life that define his work. Matthews splits his time as a fisherman and a Stompin’ Tom Connors tribute artist. Moreover, he juggles parenthood alone, providing for his kids while pursuing his passions.
Directed by Susan Rodgers, Then Sings My Soul explores the parallels between the two artists and the experiences on Prince Edward Island that define them. Matthews offers intimate interviews in which he filters Connors’ ups and downs through the challenges he’s faced as an artist and single parent. However, Connors’ hard knocks are a learning experience, too, as the fable about the singer laying down and inviting the snowplow to flatten him teach Matthews about the value of asking for help.
Rodgers observes Matthews with his kids, with his parents, and balancing work and play on the road. Between sold-out shows and frayed fishing nets, Matthews has his hands full. But in his life as a fisherman and journey as an artist, the doc offers a welcome message about sticking it out through thick and thin. “Sometimes things do get away on you,” says Matthews, “but you bait your hook again and try to get another bite.”
Watch Then Sings My Soul today from the NFB.
Then Sings My Soul, Susan Rodgers, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Synopsis
Prince Edward Island singer and part-time fisherman Chad Matthews is a hardworking father of four and a Stompin’ Tom Connors tribute artist. In a rural town where making a living means only earning minimum wage, Then Sings My Soul follows Chad as he reaches for a guitar to help ease the pain.
Presented in partnership with the NFB.
