Rating: 8/10

Directors: Kerthy Fix, Gail O'Hara
Cast: Stephin Merritt, Claudia Gonson, Peter Gabriel, Neil Gaiman, Sarah Silverman, Daniel Handler, Sam Davol, John Woo

Any Magnetic Fields fan is aware that Stephin Merritt is a very private man.  His songs are the soundtrack to our heartbreaks and romances, but he only lets us into his life so far. If you've attended a Magnetic Fields performance, you get the impression that the gears are always working inside Merritt's head; and though he doesn't say much, his statements are short and to the point, their aim always dead on with a touch of sarcasm.

STRANGE POWERS: STEPHIN MERRITT AND THE MAGNETIC FIELDS opens with Merritt being asked a seemingly innocent question. "What are you reading?" His response is to stare back into the camera, smirking as if wondering what makes that question a relevant one and by answering it it will open up a can of worms that he is not prepared to deal with.  As the subject of a documentary, Merritt is at times hard to document and at times playful and funny.

The film was shot over a period of ten years.  It follows the band through the recording process, touring, and as Stephin makes his transition from New York to Los Angeles, putting distance between himself and his bandmate Claudia Gonson.  There are no earth-shattering revelations made by this documentary. Most of the information presented is easily obtained by a google search of the band, but it does manage to work as a fitting tribute to the music and the band.

Once deemed, "the Cole Porter of his generation," the film has the requisite talking heads interviews about Merritt from the likes of Peter Gabriel, Neil Gaiman, Sarah Silverman, Daniel Handler, and the band. But a lot of time is not spent with hero worship. These people are there to emphasize a point so that the film can move on.

There is early footage of the band in its formative years, a treat for any fan.  And the bulk of the film is spent explaining the band dynamic through the touring and recording process.  What is the most touching is the relationship between Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson.  You are immediately struck by how much they need to work off of each other. Each one allows the other to do what they do best; and the rest of the band (John Woo and Sam Davol) are aware of their roles as well.  In one interview, Davol claims, "Stephin and I are not friends."  But this is the relationship that they must have.

The film also sheds light on the press scandals of Merritt's career.  Where he was deemed a racist for not liking rap and for his enjoyment of the song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Disney's SONG OF THE SOUTH.  Where most people would publicly defend themselves, Merritt just let the scandal play out and eventually those that helped fan the flames were the ones that put out the fire.  He likes what he likes, and he makes no excuses for it.  Why should he?

This isn't to say that Merritt is some hermit or ogre with people waiting on him hand and foot, but he just doesn't bend to the idea that because he writes catchy pop songs that he must be a public persona.  He does what works for him--which primarily includes spending hours in a bar writing.  The people in his life are willing to accept that.  It's time that we did too.