Life Is But a Dream - Rebecca Sansom

Part 1: Initial review (before I realize Beyonce co-directed the film)

I watched HBO's documentary on Queen Bey last night. And though I heard people say watching it will make you dislike her, I have to disagree. I can still remember choreographing dance routines to 'Say My Name' in my friend's living room in high school. (Yes, high school. I realize you may have expected me to say middle school, but dancing to Destiny's Child was a normal 15 year old activity for me and my crew.) I found Beyonce to be her charming, fierce, driven, adorable self in this film. So, the filmmakers accomplished that. Though, I think that would be simple to accomplish for any basic editor given that much footage of Beyonce.

Here are my critiques of the film. The timeline was confusing, especially at the beginning. My friends and I were constantly looking at each other saying, “When was that? Where are they? Which concert is this? Why is everyone stressed out?” This could've been easily fixed with simple graphic descriptions, but there were hardly any, if any, in the entire film!

At one point in the middle of the film, the filmmakers are introduced, sort of. The camera-man tells us the director hasn't slept in 72 hours, as he films him, and lets us know that he smells bad, too. Ok. Why are you telling me this?

Then we find out that the crew is 2 days away from the Billboard Awards and they don't have an approved rough cut. Oh ok. Now it's starting to make sense.  As a filmmaker, myself,  that sounds very stressful and I can see why they haven't slept. But, shortly after that revelation I find myself wondering what exactly they are talking about? Are they screening the documentary at the Awards? Are they in charge of another video that we don't know about?

I still don't know.

The music got really tense, and I wanted to go to that place of tension with Beyonce and the crew, but I was still trying to figure out why we were so worried! I felt like the filmmakers were assuming we were all up on what was happening with Beyonce in the summer of 2011 and could go back and access it as if it were yesterday, since they can. I'm sorry, but even though I do try to keep up to date on my Beyonce current events you're going to have to give me a brief recap (date and location is all I need. Really.).

Maybe it's just me. Maybe everyone else who sees the film will think showing the stressed out crew was justified. (I personally don't. I think it comes off as a cheap fame grab). Showing them only made me wish she had a film crew comprised of women. (Hey, Beyonce!! Are you hiring a new film crew? Ok. Cool! Have your people call my people!).

Unfortch, the film left me with more questions than I came in with, and not in the ooooh-I'm-so-interested-in-this-topic-I'm-going-to-the-library-right-now kinda way. In the oh so we still don't know where her relationship stands with her father, or what tough relationship phase Blue Ivy was apparently conceived in, or whatever happened to Sasha Fierce?

I need someone else to do a better documentary on Beyonce and this time I want a less random, less confusing story line. A documentary about Queen Bey shouldn't start to drag! This actually felt long. There was some compelling footage and testimony, but the boring and seemingly misplaced footage took a toll on the pace. I'm really sorry, Beyonce. You deserve better storytelling!

Part 2: My response after realizing Beyonce had almost total creative control on the film as she co-directed and co-produced it.

Now, I just think it was completely contrived and basically pointless. It appears that by withholding information about her personal life, Beyonce just doesn't leave enough room to make a satisfying documentary. It was Beyonce's call to be so cryptic. Is that supposed to make me want to know more about her? Why would it? She's never going to reveal the apparent secrets she's keeping from us. And maybe that's her point. Maybe Beyonce is brilliant, and by giving us a barely-below-surface level look into her private life she thinks that we'll give up on trying to figure her out!

As far as I'm concerned it's working. She says it herself- she loves entertaining people for a living and making them forget about their worries for a few hours. Isn't that all we should expect from an entertainer?

Someday I'll go see Beyonce in concert (hopefully someday soon) and I have no doubt I will thoroughly enjoy myself, no matter what is going on in either of our private lives.