Lady Gaga Documentary

I love a good documentary. It's one of the first things Danny and I bonded over when he and Kelsey started dating. I remember her looking at us like we were crazy as we compared notes on ones we had seen. A lot of documentaries are flops, though, either low budget or simply not interesting enough to really draw me in. But when it's done right, wow. A thorough documentary can grant you a new lens to view the world, rediscovering something as basic as food, or uncovering hidden truths in something you  know little about, like Scientology (Going Clear...man, it's creepy).

When I heard a documentary about Lady Gaga was on Netflix (Five Foot Two), I wanted to at least watch a snippet. I've never been a fan or foe of the musician herself; I like several of her songs and am familiar with her publicity antics but who is she really as a person? I was hoping to find out. The documentary was slow to get started, but became more compelling as it went on. It followed Gaga as she recorded songs for her record Joanne (2016), and prepared for the Super Bowl LI halftime show. Here's what I learned from the movie:

  • She works incredibly hard for her success. Writing, recording, interviewing, rehearsing, performing, acting gigs...it's a lot for any single person to manage. There were moments in the documentary when she lost her patience and snapped at people and I completely get it-I am not my best self when I'm sleep deprived either. 
  • The stress was directly affecting her health. The movie was at times painful to watch, because she was suffering physically. Lingering issues from a hip injury, mysterious pain in her facial muscles...her striving came at a cost, a reminder of the consequences of not having a healthy balance in life. One scene in particular was chilling, when she was in the doctor's office and simultaneously being treated by the doctor and having her make-up done to prepare for the next event. Shudder.
  • She's surprisingly modest. The whole concept of her newest record is stripping away the glitz and creating more soulful music. Gaga was nervous if her fans would still accept her as she transitioned in this way. She speculated that it didn't get bigger than the Super Bowl halftime show and her manager reassured her that her career wasn't downhill from there. It was a great reminder that underneath the peacocking, airbrushing and branding, these artists are real people with real emotions, hopes and dreams. In the final scene, Gaga expressed genuine gratitude to the technicians suiting her up the for the halftime show, telling them it's a dream come true and recognizing that she couldn't pull it off without their help.
  • Fame and money doesn't fix you. It's very easy to think our lives would be better if we had more money, more resources, more support and encouragement from others. Lady Gaga surely has fans and media (reporters, photographers, etc) kissing her ass every day, right? And how can that not build your self-esteem, wash away your troubles? It's obvious that despite all the noise, she is lonely and riddled with personal issues. She compares creating music to "open heart surgery", pouring her emotions and pain into her songs. But still, she struggles. She's human, despite it all. 
What did you guys think?

XOXO,
Maria

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