On Her Shoulders (MIFF 2018) director Alexandria Bombach recounts how two unassuming childhood friends became lesbian icons as folk-rock duo Indigo Girls.

To Gen X queer women, being into the Indigo Girls was basically like waving a pride flag. Listening to their uniquely poetic ballads felt like finding yourself and your community. Those same loyal fans helped make Amy Ray and Emily Saliers among the first out-and-proud musicians to go gold and platinum in the 80s and 90s – even putting a Grammy win to their name. Since the birth of their collaboration as teenagers in Decatur, Georgia, their music has expressed not just their camaraderie and mutual respect, but their commitment to LGBTQIA+ visibility and rights.

In this warm and earnest documentary, Bombach chronicles the Indigo Girls’ three-decade-long career, richly weaving together intimate interviews, archival footage and Ray’s extensive, previously unseen home-video recordings. Rather than bringing in the usual talking heads, the director draws out her candid, self-aware subjects’ very different personalities and shared political vein, all the while capturing the same humour and honesty that have always been at the heart of their beloved songs.

“Sweeping and sincere … An adoring opus befitting two long overlooked musicians and activists.” – IndieWire

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