Me and Me: The documentary on Taylor Swift will strengthen both the lovers and the haters

Netflix's "Miss Americana" finds the pop star in the midst of creative and personal disillusionment. Although presented entirely from a sympathetic perspective of Swift and her attitudes, it contains quite a few intriguing moments of sincerity that will surely touch the hearts of her fans, and will equally capture the turbulent feelings of McTerge

Me and Me: The documentary on Taylor Swift will strengthen both the lovers and the haters

Splitting is the most commonly identified concept with the new decade that just launched a month ago. It may well be that he has always been a part of humanity, but he has never seemed so empowered and loud, present in every corner. In his new book "Why We're Polarized", VOX founder and editor Ezra Klein embarks on a journey following the foundations of schism in American society, but the conclusions he reaches are universal.

In one of the early sections published prior to the book's release, Klein describes how the Buzzfeed site was built as an intrinsically fragmented system to produce viral. Viral quizzes are designed to associate us with social groups (whether they are 90s-born, left-wing or migrant-immigrant), and echo the differences between our “our” group and the rest. And once the new identity is created - however esoteric - it immediately becomes a tool of separation and differentiation. No less than we are, she emphasizes what we are not. "First Israel" and "Second Israel" can be born via Twitter, and within 8 questions about cats. Just give us a reason to split, and we'll take that away.

Almost from the moment she broke into global consciousness in 2006 with her debut album bearing her name, Taylor Swift became such a distinct identity and party. As her career progressed, differentiation grew and grew. It is hard to find ambivalent people for Swift, the animosity toward her is strong only for the sympathy of her fans. This is a fascinating paradox, revealed throughout the length of "Taylor Swift: Miss Americana," the documentary about the pop star who surfaced last Friday for Netflix (and was chosen to open the prestigious Sundance Festival last week). Paradox, because Swift's greatest motivation has always been to please the whole world, to be loved by blue collar and hipsters alike. Her failure to fulfill this dream is the driving force behind the transformation the film seeks to explore.

Taylor Swift's new disappointing album forces us to dwell on the moments of grace

Excerpt of the sad reality of a 30-year-old star "Taylor Swift: Miss Americana" (screenshot)

Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, Netflix's doc (Photo: Netflix, screenshot)

Between glory and fear of losing everything

If there is still doubt about the emotions that everything in Swift's context generates, here are two examples. As of this writing, "Miss Americana" is ranked first on the list of most talked about films in the critically acclaimed movie aggregator, and as the trendiest concept on Twitter. A short cruise on the tweet list highlights how much the film reinforces and sets each of the hawk camps in its positions.

Documentary director Lena Wilson joined Swift in a career-defining moment, shortly after the release of "Reputation" - an album entirely born of the chevron of Universal Dream. The blast with Kanye West on the song she called "bitch" and bragging about "making her famous" served as an oil for the antagonism fire towards her. After two years of self-imposed silence, she emerged back with a work built entirely on her experiences of disillusionment, anger and defiance to her haters. But under the black latex clothes and snake icons, Swift remains the 13-year-old who chronicles the dream of being loved. In a great scene during the film, she looks heartbroken as she announces that the album has not been nominated for any of the top Grammy categories. "It's okay, I just need to make a better album," she responds, returning immediately to the recording album, building motivation to prove once again that she deserves love.

Worthy of love. "Taylor Swift: Miss Americana" (screenshot)

Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, Netflix's doc (Photo: Netflix, screenshot)

From then on, Wilson is simultaneously following the mental process Swift undergoes in recognition of her controversial status, and working on her new album "Lover" on the other. The bottle-haired girl who turned 16 in a small pub and begged to call the local radio station and play "Tim Mcgraw" (the first single she ever released) became a self-proclaimed star that if she never transcended what she did before - it would seem a colossal failure .

This is just one of the statements in the movie that takes time to digest about Swift's worldview. In another case, she appears to be sitting on the window sill in pajamas, staring at the horizon, claiming that "this is probably one of my last opportunities as an artist to hold on to such a degree of success. I want to work hard as long as the company allows me to be successful", the essence of sad reality Pop that fades into the background after age 30.

The ability to touch this sensitive gap between the difficulties of advertising and the very aggressive and sometimes scary adoration, and the fear that it will all end all at once - gives the film some of the most exciting moments of its length. Wilson paints Swift as a captive of her biggest dream, and even if this motif of a gold cage is new - it is clearly evident in the moments when Swift is not wrapped in sequins and designer clothes, but is pensive in house clothes on the couch. With clever use of archival materials, Wilson says without words: The Swift Icon Icon is a direct continuation of the shy adolescent Swift.

Letter from fan. "Taylor Swift: Miss Americana" (screenshot)

Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, Netflix's doc (Photo: Netflix, screenshot)

No entrance to the backstage

As mentioned, the anti-Swift camp also has quite a few points to hold on to "Miss Americana". Like everything in Swift's career, the film about her is also carefully managed. Wilson was personally selected by Swift from a list of directors offered to him by Netflix, and the image he views is exactly the same as the lubricated system around it seeks to maintain. The Q&A session at the conclusion of the film's premiere at the Sundance Festival, which Wilson looks to admire in Swift, leaves no doubt as to her motivation here.

Every confrontation and difficulty in the movie is presented from Swift's point of view only, and is in fact the only speaker in it (except for archive sections that serve as link sections). And yet, there is little to no mention of the huge entourage responsible for the Taylor Swift brand, the one who has ever made one of the best storytellers into a blonde icon and blue-eyed with a high outstretched hand on a modern Statue of Liberty. And without this important detail, much of the truth that the film is about to reveal about the star behind the songs remains blocked to us.

In addition, "Miss Americana" includes almost no new detail about Swift. Although she confesses to an eating disorder forced on herself as a result of severe self-criticism, all other parts of it - including her unique creative process, which begins to elicit feelings and thoughts on the phone and slowly becomes a well-honed and meticulous hit - are already well known and recognized. In fact, a particularly personal detail was revealed by Swift in an interview ahead of the film in Vulture magazine, when she updated that her mother, Andrea (the closest person and beloved figure among her fans), who had recently recovered from cancer - had a headache. The star-studded confrontation with the Big Machine record label, which refuses to hand over the rights to its own songs, was also absent from the film.

At the center of internal conflict. "Taylor Swift: Miss Americana" (Photo: PR)

Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, Netflix's doc (Photo: Netflix, PR)

No longer Trumpist in the closet

It may have been this lack of innovation that encouraged Wilson to place his last part in the sign of Swift's political awakening. This is a particularly intriguing record of a controversial figure in the midst of a party age. When the fate of the Dixie Chicks (the successful band of girls who were killed immediately after one of her friends said in a statement that President Bush is "an insult to the state of Texas") is hovering over her, Swift is at the center of internal conflict. Naturally, due to the country's roots, she was considered a "Republican in the closet" for years. The decision to go out in support of Democratic candidates for the Senate and Tennessee governor, knowing it could fulfill her biggest nightmare and set up half of the US against her - portrays Wilson's desire to introduce Swift in her fourth decade.

And that might be seen as a summary for the entire "Miss America". The stories of Taylor Swift's life, about her dreams, loved ones and rivals, led her all the way from Nashville to the world's most successful pop star. No wonder the documentary about her is another such story, a life-changing moment, a familial melodrama that manages to find a common ground with listeners and viewers all over the world. And of course, there's also a new song, "Only the Young" - an encouragement anthem for young people who saw with bridal eyes the repercussions of the 2016 election, and are about to hit the polls for the first time in 2020. With lines like "The game was addicted, worked on the referee" and "We were at a numerical disadvantage - this time" (a hint of the demographic change taking place in the US for the Democrats), he is on his safe path to Bernie Sanders rallies.

For all these reasons, the conclusion is obviously obvious and obviously cannot be realized here. "Miss Americana" is an image film only if you are one of Swift's fans, and a perfect "Hate Watch" that highlights all its shortcomings if you are one of her detractors. For the least that remains between the camps, this is a touching story about the prices of the need for sympathy and approval from the company. One way or another, in such divided times, it is difficult to find those who remain indifferent to it.