The Inertia Variations, a beautiful and moving 84-minute film, directed by Swedish documentarian Johanna St Michaels, is finally available on Blu-ray and DVD (both are included in this product). Without this documentary, Matt Johnson would not have awoken from his creative torpor to start writing and releasing music again, including his first new studio album in nearly a quarter century, Ensoulment, as well as The Comeback Special (2018) and Ensouled (2024-25) world tours. This film was the catalyst for everything that followed in its wake.
The Inertia Variations, named after a series of poems of the same name by John Tottenham, is centred around Matt Johnson’s 12-hour live Radio Cinéola broadcast, which included live music, poetry and interviews with teachers, healers, environmental activists and political commentators – people whose voices are frequently silenced. Though not a typical biographical documentary – it certainly provides an overview, seamlessly incorporating archive footage as well as appearances from long-term creative collaborators such as Tim Pope.
Internationally premiered at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen in 2017, The Inertia Variations enjoyed a run of sell-out screenings at cinemas across Europe and the USA but never – until now – had a physical release. The beautifully-designed 84-page hardcover mediabook features the full documentary on Blu-ray and DVD, along with six exclusive live performances by Matt and guests from the original broadcast.
Watch the trailer HERE
“St Michaels is able to integrate herself into intensely personal worlds and in doing so blurs the lines between private and public perception to provide telling glimpses into realms that we all know exist but rarely see on screen.”
– Jason Wood, Executive Director of the BFI
“A compelling work of conceptual art in its own right”
– Niall Greig Fulton, Edinburgh International Film Festival
“The story behind THE THE’s enigmatic disappearance, a quiet epic of a character study”
– Huck
“A welcome, unconventional return from one of the country’s most erudite artists.”
– The Scotsman
“Striking, intense and powerful”
– Northern Soul
