"Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart" (Berinstein, 2026) - Review (Hot Docs Documentary Festival)

 “I wanna get off the road and be home.”

Written by Andie Kaiser

This personal documentary, while relatively by-the-books, was surprisingly vulnerable in its examination of musician Kenny Loggins and his life outside of fame. The energetic intro set a more jubilant tone than the film ended up taking, beginning with a montage of archival footage and famous talking heads that outlined Loggins’ success and legacy in the music industry. But what followed was quite different than a simple “best-of” compilation of the star, and that’s what made this one stand out for me. The narrative is structured around Loggins’ “farewell tour” of a few years ago, interspersed with interviews and archival footage of himself, family, and others in the business. It’s clear that Loggins is entering a new era of both his career and life, and the film is interested in exploring the tensions between continuing to do what he loves and being able to be present for the people he loves. He admits about touring that "my kids don’t know who I will be without this, and they’ll believe it when they see it."

Loggins himself was clearly heavily involved in the filmmaking process and didn’t shy away from candidly discussing his own fears and shortcomings. He wasn’t afraid to get emotional about past mental struggles or relationship breakdowns (even cracking a joke at the end of the film that critics of the documentary would say he cried too much). But for me, this willingness to let go of the various “personas” he’d adopted across various decades and just be honest onscreen was what saved the documentary from being yet another music film that feels more like feature-length marketing. 

The film had its world premiere at Hot Docs, with future screenings in Canada to be announced.