It’s All Gonna Break

All those bong hits in front of Much Music Countdown will rise back up from the memory bank when you inhale the smooth-tasting rock doc It’s All Gonna Break, directed by Stephen Chung. Written by Andrew Beach and Andrea Menzies, the film focuses on the Canadian indie rock band The Broken Social Scene. We open at what was arguably the band’s high point when they played right before the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Lollapalooza 2006 in Chicago for thousands of people. We then turn back the clock to turn-of-the-century Toronto, where director Chung is hanging out (i.e. smoking reefer) with the circle of friends who would become The Broken Social Scene. Back then, Chung was filming everything as he interacted with reality as best as a cinematographer. So he caught the early beginnings when the group was formed by Brendan Canning, Charlie Spearin, and Kevin Drew.

No one thought they would hit the top in the Toronto underground scene, so the band did what they wanted with as many people as they could fit on stage. Despite all odds, they became an indie sensation and made it big, with Chung still filming. So, back in 2007, he presented the idea to the band, putting together all the footage for a rock-doc about them. After viewing a rough cut, the band passed on the project, and the idea for a film lay dormant for nearly two decades as life went on. Now Chung is back with new interviews with the busloads of past members and all of the greatest yesteryears he caught on camera.

“…caught the early beginnings when the group was formed…”

For whatever reason, maybe because we were a college town, Austin had Canadian music channels available over the air in the early aughts, so I remember the Much Music Countdown in a very clear blur. That was my tenuous connection number one with It’s All Gonna Break. Connection number two was how, at that time in Toronto, the queen of their scene was Peaches, excellent choice indeed. Third threadbare connection to this documentary: Drew broke the ice with Spearin by saying he looked like a guy who liked listening to the band Tortoise.

I liked listening to Tortoise a lot back then and definitely smelled like a guy who did (again, reefer). That’s it, just three little tendrils holding my attention, as I didn’t come into this already a fan of The Broken Social Scene. I don’t require already being into a rock-doc subject, as it is a huge thrill to go from zero to well-read with knowledge about an obscure band. And I will say that the actual song “It’s All Gonna Break” by The Broken Social Scene is a great song. Chung introduces the tune at a key moment that could arguably be described as a high point.