If you’re someone who enjoys reading or watching fiction around the artistic life, allow me to recommend the quirky Canadian movie, Songs She Wrote About People She Knows.

I came across it by accident and when not laughing, spent the rest of the movie watching it with my mouth open. Since then, my affection for it has only deepened. Apparently I’m not alone as in some circles the movie has gained cult status.

SSWAPSK is the story of the corporate lackey, Carol, who attends a music class at the urging of her therapist. The premise of the course is that emotionally repressed people can find it easier to express themselves while singing rather than through more traditional communication methods.

Carol is so annoyed by the timid and off-tune warblings of her classmates that she can’t make it through a single lesson. But its central message sticks with her. In no time at all she begins—spoiler alert!—composing songs about people she knows and leaving them on their answering machines. Since her compositions include unvarnished, often NSFW lyrics, the decision has far-reaching consequences.

Warning: Numerous real spoiler alerts lie below.

For example, one of the movie’s most memorable songs is the aptly titled A**hole Dave, the subject of which is revealed a few scenes later to be a powerful person in Carol’s world. i.e. her actual boss.

Besides the humor and hook, the movie has a surprising amount to say about the artistic life. [Read more…]