I sure do love a good documentary film . . . and I equally love folk music. As a former director of the Ann Arbor Film Festival and a current folk music DJ at WCBN, this film spoke to me on both levels of my artistic interests.
My favorite genre of documentary filmmaking is referred to as ‘personal documentary,’ self-expressive works that probe into personal life experiences, offering intimate perspectives that are an antithesis to conventional ‘talking heads’ documentary films. This film reached all my expectations in successfully creating a captivating film with truly gorgeous cinematography and a really good story-line that holds the viewers interest from start to finish.
The film follows a young singer/songwriter in their personal journey to find their creative path and voice as a musician . . . and their deep-dive quest to grasp how their musician-hero, Lucinda Williams, got her start and managed to find herself into a super star. The singer/songwriter, a young California sheep farmer, takes off in their pickup truck, guitar and suitcase in hand, to trace early Lucinda Williams’ roots. Their journey graces the viewer with stunning views, grainy archival footage of the young Lucinda, and fascinating interviews with musicians and producers from back in the day, in dreamy old-timey locations where early singer/songwriters found their paths in landmark bars, halls, and recording studios of 1970s country/folk music in Texas and Tennessee. The film is a walk down memory lane of not just Lucinda’s career, but the now famous singer/songwriter artists who were young and on their own musical journeys.
Since the film was shot, the musician has since found success, going by the stage name Ismay. I appreciate Ismay’s heartfelt unzipping of their insecurities as someone who knows they have talent but haven’t a clue how to jump the hurdle that is eating away in their mind. Though there are pages missing from their original journey to their found success at the film’s close, the viewer can’t help but be happy that Ismay did it. If you are a fan of folk, country/folk, singer/songwriter musicians, I highly recommend this delightful splice of life into the head and creativity of a talented artist. Ismay performed at the Ark this past Sunday evening, November 2, 2025 before a screening of the documentary film that is now streaming. Here’s how to find it: https://www.findinglucindafilm.com/
Be sure to call in to WCBN during folk music programs to request hearing Ismay. They have a beautiful voice and write equally beautiful songs.