The Inertia Variations

This beautiful and moving 84-minute documentary, directed by Johanna St Michaels, is inspired by the poem of the same name by British-born, Los Angeles based poet John Tottenham. It is centered around Johnson's 12-hour live Radio Cineola broadcast, which included live music, poetry and interviews with teachers, healers, environmental activists and political commentators whose voices are frequently silenced.

Within the film Matt Johnson examines his troubled relationship with celebrity and the creative process and, through the tragic deaths of his mother and two of his brothers, how bereavement has informed his work and outlook. This film is not a traditional biography of Matt Johnson and The The, although it certainly provides an overview, seamlessly incorporating archive footage and the input of abiding creative collaborators such as Tim Pope.

Having accepted the challenge by St Michaels to write a new song for the broadcast – a challenge he initially resisted – The Inertia Variations became not only a film about creative rebirth but also about returning from the precipice of despair. During the filming of the project Matt Johnson’s brother Andrew (AKA Andy Dog), a man intrinsic to the visual aesthetic of The The, passed away – so a song intended to be about London that Johnson was labouring over instead became ‘We Can’t Stop What’s Coming’, the first The The single in fifteen years.

Internationally premiered at CPH: DOX in Copenhagen in 2017, The Inertia Variations enjoyed a run of sell-out screenings at cinemas across Europe but never – until now – had a physical release. It is available as a beautifully designed Hardcover Mediabook 

Blu-Ray & DVD - Hardcover