Logline:  A journey through the music and life of Sleeping At Last’s Ryan O’Neal, as he faces anxiety, grief, and the loss of his mother. Through returning to the stage, he begins to embrace healing and rediscover hope.

Synopsis:  Sleeping At Last: Light Carries On is a feature-length documentary by director Brian MacDonald that offers an intimate journey with musician Ryan O’Neal. Tracing the story from the early days of Sleeping At Last as a band to Ryan’s evolution as a solo artist, the film explores the deeply personal challenges interwoven with his music — from stage and health anxieties to the devastating loss of his mother to cancer.

Filmed across New York City, London, and Chicago, the documentary blends concert footage, rehearsals, and candid interviews to capture Ryan at pivotal moments: preparing for performances, reflecting in studios, and stepping onto world-renowned stages such as Royal Albert Hall.

As Ryan wrestles with grief and the fear of performing, his return to live shows becomes an act of courage. What emerges is a portrait of an artist navigating loss and rediscovering hope — a meditation on music’s power to carry us through even our darkest seasons.

Director's Statement: Brian MacDonald

What began as a short interview and a ten-minute personal film project unexpectedly grew into a feature-length documentary. I’ve known Ryan for over 15 years, and we often talked about pursuing a passion project together outside of my usual work directing for advertising. From the moment of our first filmed interview, it was clear there was a much deeper story to be told, one that extended far beyond his music.

Ryan’s authenticity and vulnerability in front of the camera struck me immediately. His willingness to speak openly about the sudden loss of his mother and the anxieties that followed revealed a deep story of grief, resilience and hope. I knew audiences, especially Ryan’s devoted fans, would connect with this honesty. This film became not just a portrait of an artist, but a story of the healing power of vulnerability, courage, and music itself.

The Wedgwood Circle exists to nourish the good, the true and the beautiful in the 21st-century, focused on the crucial role of stories and storytellers, of novelists, playwrights, musicians, filmmakers, game-developers, podcasters and more. From its beginning our mission has been to nourish the imaginations and vocations of artists of all kinds to ask and answer the perennial questions of the human heart— who are we? why are we? what will do with our lives?  

Using our extensive reach in the arts and entertainment industry, Wedgwood is a collective of Investors, Patrons, Artists and Entrepreneurs committed to creating good, true and beautiful and entertainment for the common good.

“We believe that creativity and imagination reflect the very nature of God, and that people of faith have a responsibility to create the world’s finest art and entertainment.”

We are excited to serve as the Fiscal Sponsor for SLEEPING AT LAST.