A Matter of Time

Product Description

In 2007, musician Kathryn Calder (of The New Pornographers) is touring the world with one of Canada's biggest indie rock bands when her family receives devastating news: her mother, Lynn, has two to three years left to live. She has ALS. Kathryn learns that ALS is a progressive, paralyzing disease, with no treatment or cure. A terminal illness requiring full time care. She consequently decides to return to her childhood home, committed to being her mom's primary caregiver through the final months of her life. The foundation of Lynn and Kathryn's bond goes beyond mother and daughter - they share a love of music. Lynn, a former piano teacher, has always dreamed of seeing her daughter in the spotlight, singing her own songs. Inspired to make something beautiful amidst the grief and trauma of this long, painful goodbye, Kathryn transforms the living room of their house into a studio. With her mother in bed just down the hall and her condition worsening every day, Kathryn will fill the house with music and make a record her first solo album - a parting gift for her biggest fan. A Matter of Time is a heart-breaking yet hopeful documentary that examines the power of love and music, and the inspiration, salvation, and possibility that occurs when these two forces intersect with the most challenging moment in a young musician's life.

Review

"Kathryn Calder is the star of 'A Matter of Time,' but the brilliance of director Casey Cohen's moving documentary is that it's about much more than the keyboardist and her music. Using a combination of archival footage, beautiful animated passages, and deeply emotional interviews, Cohen crafts a film that on a base level is about Calder's rise as a celebrated solo artist and member of indie-rock greats the New Pornographers. But it's just as much about how a child copes with the loss of a parent. The great triumph of the beautifully shot film is that, by the end, it's turned something awful into something life-affirmingly positive, with the singer handling everything thrown at her with grace, resolve, and courage." --The Georgia Straight

"'A Matter of Time' is part concert film, part family portrait, and part call to action. It launches us in the world of Canadian indie rock, with the New Pornographers serving as an intersection point for bands that have helped define the country's music industry for the last decade. We're treated to amazing concert footage and original performances of Calder's new songs. But it's also a deeply intimate, human story. Calder doesn't just find a new voice, branching out on her own as a solo artist. She also develops a new and heartbreakingly short-lived bond with her mother, learning to say goodbye and move on. The film also shines a light on ALS; director Casey Cohen manages to link Lou Gehrig's story to that of Calder's mother with tasteful subtlety. In tragedy, Calder carves out a way forward for herself, finding strength in community and hope in the future. It's a privilege to witness such a powerful journey." --The Tyee