When rocker Edwyn Collins suffered a huge stroke in 2005, he was left able to say only three things: “yes”, “no”, “Grace Maxwell” (the name of his wife) and “the possibilities are endless”. Filmmakers Edward Lovelace and James Hall have plumped for the latter as title for their docudrama-memoir about the one-time Orange Juice frontman – and not just because **No **was taken – which we’re happy to share a new clip from below.
The Possibilities Are Endless combines the documentary form with dramatised remembrances. This one conjures up the sparks that flew when Collins (played by his son, William) met the love of his life Grace (Submarine’s Yasmin Paige) for the first time in a chippie. It’s set to his 1994 hit ‘A Girl Like You’ and you can watch it in full by clicking below.
If you’re not an Orange Juice or Nu-Sonics fan and don’t have Collins’ solo albums on your iPod, this is a British musician of real significance. The Scotsman arrived on the ‘80s alternate rock scene in a starburst of energy and magnetism. That stroke initially robbed him of those things, leaving him in a state of confusion, but as the film charts, through his recovery and with the help of his wife, he hauled himself slowly back to songwriting – as well as new creative pursuits.
This one is shaping up to be an equally moving companion piece to the upcoming Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory Of Everything, and not in a reductive way. Both are against-the-odds tales in which the human will proves itself capable of overcoming almost everything; both will inspire and break your heart a little. Catch The Possibilities Are Endless in cinemas from November 7.