What it’s about
In professional terms, musician/composer Jon Batiste is on fire. Nominated for multiple Grammys in 2022, he wins best album of the year. He’s also working on the symphony of the film’s title, his most ambitious project yet. He perseveres even while facing a daunting personal crisis, with his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, undergoing aggressive treatment for cancer. Sometimes we see the couple together but mostly apart- living, of necessity, parallel lives. Yet they are never out of touch and continually find ways to support each other. Their mutual devotion fuels each other’s journey forward.
Why we love it
In this moving, utterly inspiring doc, we get intimately acquainted with a very special couple confronting a host of challenges with uncommon grace and determination. Batiste, who became famous as Stephen Colbert’s musical director, is achieving a career high-point just as his wife’s cancer recurs. He has to keep working but cannot fully savor his success, as his beloved Suleika undergoes a painful, debilitating bone marrow transplant without a trace of self-pity. In the end, we come to admire and believe in both these exceptional individuals, and feel grateful they found each other.