A documentary about late US musician Jason Molina celebrates an artist who grew up in economically declining Lorain, Ohio and became a prolific Americana and alt-country songwriter before his death in 2013.
Molina released almost 20 studio albums and numerous EPs under the monikers Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co, working across lo-fi, slowcore, polished Americana and alt-country. By 2009, he estimated he had written thousands of songs.
The new documentary, titled "You Fuckers Figure It Out: A Jason Molina Story," is directed by Tommy Nickoloff, Molina's childhood friend. Nickoloff describes Lorain as "a place where the American dream was born and died." The steel mill city, once marked by blue flames and orange glow from industry, faced steep economic decline during Molina's teenage years. "Nobody had any money and we were encouraged to get out," Nickoloff says in the film.
Molina left Lorain but struggled with alcoholism in his later years. He died in 2013 at age 39.
Friends and collaborators featured in the documentary describe Molina as an incomparable storyteller who brought "myth and magic to everyday life," according to the source material. The film draws on their recollections to chart his artistic journey from a working-class Ohio upbringing to a career spanning multiple musical styles and thousands of compositions.