Modest but effective, and unexpectedly moving, this documentary on Taylor Swift gives us the broad strokes of a human being who is always trying to prove herself through her music artistry and compassion for others.
Review #2,834
Dir. Lana Wilson
2020 | USA | Documentary, Music | 85 min | 1.78:1 | English
NC16 (Netflix rating) for some coarse language
Cast: –
Plot: A look at iconic pop artist Taylor Swift during a transformational time in her life as she embraces her role as a singer/songwriter and harnesses the full power of her voice.
Awards: Official Selection (Sundance)
Distributor: Netflix
Accessibility Index
Subject Matter: Moderate – Creating Music; Passion & Personal Voice
Narrative Style: Straightforward
Pace: Normal
Audience Type: Mainstream
Viewed: Netflix
Spoilers: No
If there was a silver lining to the Covid pandemic, it got me into Blackpink… and Taylor Swift. ‘Folklore’ was so good that I had to get the CD, and then another with ‘Evermore’. While I’m still gutted not to have snagged tickets for her Eras Tour, the consolation is that I have nearly all her albums so far.
Taylor is the subject of Miss Americana, a modest but effective documentary chronicling, albeit rather generally, much of her life in music up till her ‘Lover’ album in 2019.
For relatively newer fans like me, the film is useful to ‘get up to speed’ with the Swift brand. Her musical talent was already evident as a teenager, but nothing could have prepared her (and her increasing legions of fans) for a rollercoaster career.
“There’s so much pressure going into putting new music out.”
Several parts of Miss Americana moved me, such as her resoluteness in working harder to produce a better album when she suffered a professional disappointment, or when she was determined to voice out against the sexual assault of women after a bad experience in public.
These caught me emotionally off guard and brought me closer to an artiste that I now have even more respect for.
Being personally fond of the music creation process as I also dabble on the guitar and piano, I was drawn to how Swift collaborates with her music partners as they figure out, sometimes spontaneously, lyrics or chord changes in the studio.
Intercutting footage from some of her earlier world tours, home videos and interactions with her incredibly supportive parents and friends, Miss Americana gives us the broad strokes of a human being who is always trying to prove herself through her artistry and compassion for others. In Taylor we trust.
Grade: B+
Trailer:
Music:
Eternality Tan 