Canadian music artists Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk set out to chronicle the process of writing songs together and ended up shining a spotlight on the challenges they face as a married couple.
I’m Going To Break Your Heart, which premieres Jan. 24 at The Royal Cinema in Toronto, offers fans an intimate look at their relationship.
“You get to see this process, not just about writing and recording together, but where those ideas come from, why we’re fighting about stuff, how our relationship ends up weaving its way into the songs and lyrics,” Maida told iHeartRadio.ca. “It’s all one because we live together, we’re a married couple. You can’t really have one without the other.”
Kreviazuk described the idea of putting out another documentary about the making of music as “stale.” Maida agreed.
“You can’t show the creative process without showing the personal part of it as well,” he said. “If we were to cut out all the personal stuff and just show the music I don’t think it’s authentic.”
Maida, the 48-year-old frontman for Our Lady Peace, and Kreviazuk, 44, have been married for 20 years and are parents to sons Rowan, Luca and Salvador.
To make the film, they flew to Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a part of France located only 25 kilometres south of Newfoundland. Maida and Kreviazuk were enamoured with the islands after performing at a summer festival there – but that “incredible experience” became a distant memory when the couple returned in January 2017.
“It was so freezing cold. The wind is insane,” Maida recalled. “We know what tough weather is but this was, like, beyond.”
Kreviazuk admitted one of the hardest things about being in Saint Pierre and Miquelon was being away from their sons.
“This was a long trip away and I, on this island, felt like I was several planets over in the solar system,” she said. “I just felt so far from the kids and it killed me.
“My sadness was perpetual throughout the filming and really it turned to utter rage and I couldn’t get my head around it. There is a scene where you see it. That was a very low point for me as a mom.”
Both Kreviazuk and Maida believe much of what they go through in the film will resonate with other couples.
“Sometimes in a relationship you’re like, ‘I want my partner to say this to me now. This would feel good.’ You can’t make people say things,” said Kreviazuk. “What I think is neat is some of the pieces I feel yearning for come through the music. What he can’t maybe say in talking, he’ll say it in a lyric."
"My hope is there’s healing through the music and seeing our personal journey as well. That we’re not alone in those struggles.”
Kreviazuk and Maida said there was never any point where they believed their story would end badly. But, Maida acknowledged, “we’re different people with different expectations.”
In the film’s trailer, Kreviazuk comes off as the more emotional one in the marriage. But, she said there’s more to Maida than meets the eye. “Sometimes the person who appears really stoic may actually below the surface be really sensitive."
Maida added: “Chantal’s a talker. She wants to dig into things. She wants to resolve stuff. I think there’s a good balance there. In the film you get to see that dynamic. It’s kind of typical of a lot of relationships.”
He admitted couple’s therapy is healthy. “I wouldn’t say that five years ago but I was a big Sopranos fan and if Tony Soprano can do it, I can do it.”
One thing that’s not an issue in their relationship is a musical rivalry.
“I’ve never felt in competition with Raine. We’ve never had that,” Kreviazuk said. “I was so focused on my solo career and Raine was in his band and that was just not … I just never, ever felt like… they were very separate things.
"I would have to really sift through my memories hard to think of a time that I felt an insecurity or any kind of competition with Raine. That’s probably why we’ve been able to do what we do.”
Maida said the couple feels grateful. “Getting on stage and being able to play together is such a gift.”
Kreviazuk added: “Sometimes we have really good scraps and we’re not happy with each other, you know s**t happens, but then we get on stage… and it’s on. We’re just happy to be on stage together. As soon as I hear my voice singing with Raine’s voice, it’s really intoxicating.”
Fans can expect to see Maida and Kreviazuk on tour later this year. A single titled “Lowlight” will drop Feb. 1 and an album is scheduled for release in the spring.
“We both really love the music,” said Maida, who called the project “some of the best songs and songwriting that we’ve ever done.”
Following its premiere in Toronto, I’m Going To Break Your Heart will be shown Feb. 8 in Calgary, and a Montreal screening is in the works. Later in the year, the film will be available on video-on-demand.
“Most music documentaries it’s like, ‘oh wow they wrote a great song and they’re in the studio recording…' but they don’t show you the songs that don’t make it or the stuff that goes terribly wrong,” Maida explained. “We allow the viewer to see some of that.”
Kreviazuk said she hopes people come away from the film feeling hopeful, inspired and validated.
“I hope that the collaborative aspect of what is revealed is transforming to people because they’ve heard new music and they’ve seen how music is born, and that that fills them too,” she said. “I hope they get a couple chills down their spine.”
Maida conceded that some people might find parts of the film hard to watch. But, he said, “there’s a real hopeful thing in the sense of sticking it out together – s**t’s worth fighting for in life, and relationships are, and family is, and music is.
“Whatever your passion is, it’s all worth fighting for and you just got to dig in and fight for it.”
BELOW: Watch the trailer for I'm Going To Break Your Heart.