In this tender portrait, the US filmmaker Leonard Kamerling profiles Ryan Matthews, an artist who found life growing up in New Jersey stifling before discovering room to grow in the grandeur of Alaska. Since childhood, Matthews, who is on the autism spectrum, has been captivated by machines – especially trains – not only for how they work but also for their beauty and, at times, their destructive power. Working out of his one-room cabin, Matthews creates art that reflects his sensitivity to the ‘souls’ of these machines, capturing both their mechanical detail and their emotional impact. Shaped by personal experiences – including a serious car accident – and his interpretations of historical events, Matthews’s drawings have become a way for him to understand the world and make space for himself within it.
