I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

Chronicling the completion and release of alternative country-rock band Wilco’s fourth studio album — and all the drama therein — I Am Trying to Break Your Heart takes a close, and at times unbelievable, look at the reality of making music in a corporate world.

As the recording of Wilco’s fourth studio album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, came to a close, the band were unceremoniously dropped from their long-time record label, Reprise Records, due to underwhelming sales of their earlier albums. Left adrift with a completed record, Wilco turned to the internet for help, releasing Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on their website. It received not only widespread support from fans, but also critical acclaim.

Director and photographer Sam Jones followed Wilco throughout the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, filming everything in black and white to lend the documentary an artistic, and at times mysterious, quality. The result is a film about taking creative risks, corporate greed, and the meaning of success.