Who is Lydia Loveless?

Gorman Bechard's entertaining documentary profile "Who Is Lydia Loveless?" thoroughly explores the titular question. Is she a singer/songwriter, an alt-country queen, a cow punk, or a hard rocker? The second coming of Hank Williams or Patti Smith? Or just a bubbling cauldron of hormones and emotions holding steadfast to the ideal of keeping rock & roll alive? What's indisputable is Loveless' status as an absolutely fascinating character: tough, outspoken, profane, and hugely funny. A farm girl with defiantly iconoclastic parents, Loveless played in a family band with her sisters and father before going solo while still in her teens. The film follows Loveless' eventful life and career in roughly chronological fashion - she's still only in her mid-20s - but also cleverly organizes itself into "chapters" that focus on each of her four band members. Beyond that biographical material, the documentary features a handful of amusing animated interludes, a trove of hilarious rants by Loveless, and a truly glorious abundance of music, including complete songs from a 2015 show that helped introduce her recent album. (St. Louis International Film Festival)