After the inconclusive death of his young niece, filmmaker Angelo Madsen Minax returns to his rural Michigan hometown, preparing to make a film about a broken criminal justice system. Instead, he pivots to excavate the depths of generational addiction, Christian fervor, and trans embodiment. Lyrically assembled images, decades of home movies, and ethereal narration form an idiosyncratic and poetic undertow that guide a viewer through lifetimes and relationships. Like the relentless Michigan seasons, the meaning of family shifts, as Madsen, his sister, and his parents strive tirelessly to accept each other. Poised to incite more internal searching than provide clear statements or easy answers, NORTH BY CURRENT is a visual rumination on the understated relationships between mothers and children, truths and myths, losses and gains.
In this episode Madsen and Dawn discuss how trust was built in his family in making this film, the link (or lack thereof) between gender transition and death, and how you cope when having to discuss and relive traumatic events many times over.
TW: Death, substance abuse
Follow the film:
Website: http://www.northbycurrent.com/
Instagram: @angelomadsen