Experiencing Interruptions?

You Fuckers Figure It Out: A Jason Molina Story

Conjure the spirit of indie-rock icon Jason Molina (1973-2013) with Ohio insiders who illuminate Truth about his coming of age on Lake Erie, escaping artless steel town indifference, and manifesting the legendary band, Songs: Ohia, as they celebrate contradictions that tether Jason’s raunchy humor, propensity to lie, refusal to interpret lyrics, and untimely death into a haunting legacy unconfined by the record vault.
YOU FUCKERS FIGURE IT OUT.

  • Tommy Nickoloff
    Director
    n/a
  • Kristy Walker
    Director of Photography
  • Tommy Nickoloff
    Producer
    n/a
  • Aaron Molina
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • William Schaff
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Ashley Molina Lawson
    Key Cast
    "as herself"
  • Geof Comings
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Millicent Souris
    Key Cast
    "as herself"
    The Reverend
  • Todd Jacops
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Carl Raponi
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Mike McCartney
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Jason Lawhead
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Kurt Hernon
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Bruce Comings
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Max Winter
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Tommy Nickoloff
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Cora Walker
    Key Cast
    "Latch Key Rocker"
  • Reilly Lambert
    Key Cast
    "as himself"
  • Jennifer Koury
    Key Cast
    "as herself"
  • Tommy Nickoloff
    Editor
    n/a
  • Matt Lance
    Drone Cinematographer
  • Rudy Juricic
    Drone Cinematographer
  • Tommy Nickoloff
    Animations
    n/a
  • Alex Green
    MoGraph
  • Brad Masi
    Consulting Editor
  • Jason Kothman
    Consulting Editor
  • Alex Green
    Camera B and C
  • Tommy Nickoloff
    Camera B and C
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Music Biopic, Ohio, Rustbelt, Midwest, Historical, Origin Story, Rockumentary, Independent
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 32 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 14, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    100,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Black Magic 4k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Athens International Film and Video Festival
    Athens, Ohio
    United States
    April 16, 2026
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • Appalachian Film Festival
    Huntington, West Virginia
    United States
    May 23, 2026
    West Virginia Premiere
    Special Selection - solo screening plus music program
Director Biography - Tommy Nickoloff

Tommy Nickoloff, a filmmaker and illustrator from Lorain, Ohio, didn’t accept himself as an artist until he was 50 years old. Raised in a Lake Erie steel town forged by Eastern European, African American, Puerto Rican, and Appalachian migrants, he grew up in a culture that valued toughness, hard work, and self-sacrifice over individuality. Art was impractical, sensitivity a liability. He began working in his family’s construction business at nine years old.

As the industrial boom faded, Tommy met Jason Molina on a high school soccer field. Jason was already writing music with rare conviction and sensed Tommy’s struggle with self-realization. Jason’s advice was simple: “Just be an artist.”

Over the next 25 years, Tommy lived many lives—designing in California, serving in Peace Corps Zambia, and recruiting for FEMA in Georgia. Whether building houses, communities, or teams, he observed how people established their identities through story telling.

In 2013, “Just be an artist” became a “Farewell Transmission” when Jason, by then a world-renowned indie-rocker, died at 39. That same year Brené Brown wrote, “Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes.” For Tommy, that truth hit home. Grief jolted him awake. He picked up a sketchbook, returned to therapy, and finally took Jason’s advice to heart.

Tommy began producing his debut film, “You Fuckers Figure It Out: A Jason Molina Story,” in 2021. He also directed, edited, illustrated, and self-funded the feature-length documentary. It felt less like a new direction than an inevitable return—to Jason, to Lorain, and to the stories that shaped them both.

“This film is for Jason, his family, friends, fans, and every town where the American Dream was born, died, and still offers a second chance,” he says.

Tommy now mentors emerging artists and filmmakers, believing creativity is best nurtured collectively. He is currently developing a screenplay, producing a second documentary, and collaborating on a third as a producer.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Jason Molina’s music still haunts 300,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone. In 2025, over twenty artists recorded covers of his work, and his band Magnolia Electric Company is playing to sold-out crowds once again. The moment is ripe to share a fuller, more human look at Jason’s Rust Belt origins and the contradictions that define his life and music.

Family, friends, and his earliest bandmates explore Molina’s formative years through memory, laughter, and loss. “You Fuckers Figure It Out: A Jason Molina Story” is a Gen X celebration of our lo-fi youth, Ohio and Appalachian landscapes, and the working-class ethos that inspired Jason’s singular artistic talent. He remains present among us—in more ways than one.

From across the United States and Europe, musicians have reached out, inspired to perform Jason’s songs alongside festival screenings. Gratefully, the film is becoming a rally cry across geography and generations.