VIFF 2021: Records

Twenty-one years after Alan Zweig’s groundbreaking first feature documentary Vinyl, Zweig returns to the topic of compulsive record collecting with newfound introspection and a sunnier disposition. Punctuated by his signature mirror-confessionals, Records compiles colourful interviews with vinyl enthusiasts, swirling around the proverbial maxim that music has the power to connect us all.

Whereas Vinyl parsed out the neurosis of Toronto’s most intrepid and eclectic LP-hoarders, Records affirms an updated, more balanced portrait of the culture. Echoes of earlier conversations on personal failures and the perils of obsessive behaviour come full circle, centering the capacity for personal growth and community passion this time around. When Pitchfork proclaimed Vinyl among its 20 essential music documentaries, Zweig himself had already stated that the film is not really about music. Is Records about music, you ask? Well, yes… kinda. It’s definitely about what’s beyond collecting music as well.