Jane Wyatt's (Zellweger) once promising singing career came to a halt after injuries from a car accident confined her to a wheelchair. Several years after the accident she lives alone and her only friend is a local named Joey (Forrest Whitaker) who is also scarred by a past trauma. Both performances evoke sympathy and resilience Their unlikely friendship also recalls 1970s movies with people from different ages, genders, and class came together. Joey convinces her accompany him to New Orleans to meet a man who claims be in communication with angels. Along the way they meet Nora, who's husband has disappeared, and Caldwell (Nick Nolte) a former musician struggling with post-traumatic stress after Hurricane Katrina.

The mythos of American music also has a unique spirituality. A spirituality beaming from the earth that goes right into the soul. Even in 21st century America mystery lurks everywhere in a land with a rich, mostly unknown history. Few filmmakers tap into the mystical aspect of America - tending to prefer critiques.
Unfortunately (and ironically), My Own Love Song never saw a general release in America. It is now available on Netflix. After Hurricane Katrina, America never got a Grapes of Wrath or even a film to put the tragedy into a historical context (Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke is an exception) and its own small way My Own Love Song is a reckoning with American tragedy - and hope.
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