The Song and the Sorrow

Musician Catherine MacLellan—the daughter of Canadian singer/songwriting legend Gene MacLellan (Snowbird, Put Your Hand in the Hand) —grew up surrounded by her father’s music. He died by suicide when she was 14. Two decades after his loss, Catherine is finally ready to confront the hurtful mystery of her absent parent and embrace his musical legacy. The Song and the Sorrow follows Catherine as she journeys to understand her father and face her own struggles with mental illness. Through archival footage and intimate conversations with friends, family members, and musicians who knew and played with Gene—including Anne Murray, Lennie Gallant, and the late Ron Hynes—the film reveals a troubled and loving man who was never at ease with fame or money. Anne Murray's rendition of Snowbird was the most played song in the world in 1970, but Gene, as its author, shunned fame and its trappings. Catherine is determined to lift the oppressive burden of silence that accompanies the stigma of mental illness and hopes that others can take strength and solace from her story.