Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry Web Review - Making of America’s favourite pop star

A still from Billie Eilish: The World`s A Little Blurry

Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry
Dir: RJ Cutler
Cast: Billie Eilish
Rating:

Interacting with friends who've watched RJ Cutler's documentary on Billie Eilish's rise to stardom, it is evident that assorted elements of the two-hour-20-minute film have affected viewers in distinct ways. Some are swayed by Eilish's giddy and earnest interaction with her idol, Justin Bieber, one that reduces her to tears; some are moved by her battle with tourette syndrome, which Eilish has often had to deal with in full public glare. Others found themselves chuckling when Eilish, fresh out of passing her driving exam, jokes about living with "losers", owing to her family members' choice in cars.

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For me, an interaction with her brother, Finneas - record producer of her songs, and a protagonist in equal measure in this documentary - particularly stands out. Wrapping up a piece of recording in his home studio where Eilish created some of her most prominent tracks, she disappointedly sits back and laments, "It sounds pretty horrible." "I think it's kinda awesome," her multiple Grammy Award-winning brother reacts. "It's pretty bad," she closes the discussion, going on to add how she isn't ‘good enough'.

Scarce moments such as this one are frequently employed in documentaries of popular stars to showcase their humane side. But what makes Cutler's project, Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry, special is that such moments, in fact, form its crux. On one hand, the Bad guy hitmaker tugs at heartstrings when discussing creating art for fans who are enduring the pain that she is. On the other, she raises eyebrows with her opinions, unabashedly presented before record producers. She is scared to produce a "hit", fearing that the most-loved tracks are also the ones that are sincerely hated; she is easily agitated when a music director's vision doesn't meet her own; and amid all her success, she isn't afraid to allude that she is more unhappy than she "should" be.

Cutler weaves the film together with a score that is a fitting tribute to Eilish's music sensibilities, making this film, on the making of one of America's favourite singing superstars, a worthy watch.