A Matter of Time

When Canadian indie-rock singer-songwriter Kathryn Calder discovered that her mother had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease), she left one of the bands she participated in, stopped touring with the other, and moved to her mother's house. Aiming to produce a solo album (Are You My Mother? 2010), she created a sound studio in the living room and set to work, with the help of many musician friends, while serving as her mother's caregiver. This tender production blends an artful mix of filmed concert footage; historic images of baseball star Gehrig (1903–41) in action and at his farewell speech at Yankee Stadium after his diagnosis; slices of clever animation; and meaningful interviews with Calder and others, including author Jonathan Eig (Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig). It is part biopic, part music film, and part seminar on ALS for people who may have never heard of this always-fatal disease or don't realize its devastating progression. Three musical and one "ice bucket" extras don't add much.