Story by Peyton Tranas / Contributing Writer
Photos by New York Times, The Fire Wire.
At the 2020 Grammy Awards, Billie Eilish made history by being the youngest, the first female artist and the second person ever to win all “Big Four” categories in the same year.
The only other person who has achieved this was Christopher Cross in 1981. So how did the 19-year-old California native reach this level of success? The new R.J. Cutler documentary, “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” details how Eilish went from uploading songs on Soundcloud to becoming a critically acclaimed artist.
The nearly two-and-a-half-hour documentary starts in roughly 2016 during the success of her first single “Ocean Eyes.”
It details the professional success and personal woes that Eilish encounters. As she upholds the title of being one of the biggest stars in the world, one often forgets that Eilish has just turned 19 and that her viral fame began when she was only 13 years old. Besides her musical success, the documentary also shows the more mundane aspects of Eilish’s life– like getting her learner’s permit and, eventually, her driver’s license.
The film also shows clips of Eilish and her creative partner– who also happens to be her brother– Finneas O’Connell and their song-making process. You get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Eilish’s debut album released in 2019, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”
Not only do we get a deep dive into Eilish’s creative process, but we also learn a lot about her both formatively and personally.
For the first time, fans get a look into Eilish’s romantic life: the film shows her now ex-boyfriend, “Q.” As a viewer, it was evident that Eilish was deeply infatuated with Q, while he seemed rather nonchalant about their entire relationship.
In one clip, Eilish talks about how lonely she is and that her boyfriend did nothing for her on Valentine’s Day. Every time Eilish was brushed aside by her ex-boyfriend, she tried to keep a positive attitude about the situation and give him the benefit of the doubt.
Fans have never been able to see this side of Eilish.
Viewers also get a deeper look at Eilish’s health, both physical and mental. She talks about how she used to be an avid dancer, but ultimately had to quit due to a hip injury. We also see her deal with shin splints, and even a broken ankle that occurred at the very beginning of a show in Milan. You see Eilish get frustrated that her body is “broken.”
We also see firsthand her dealing with Tourette syndrome, a nervous system disorder involving repetitive movements or unwanted sounds. The film includes a rather big episode of Eilish’s “tics.”
She also gets candid about her struggles with mental health, depression and self harm, and even confessing that she never saw herself getting to this age.
We also get to see Eilish go into fangirl mode, when her childhood obsession, Justin Bieber, becomes a fan of hers. He even called to congratulate her after her huge Grammy’s success. At one point, we see her sobbing in the car and with her family after Bieber sends her a sweet and supporting message after their first in-person encounter at Coachella in 2019.
One big takeaway from the film is her massive familial support.
Her parents, Maggie and Patrick, have always supported both Eilish and her brother Finneas in their artistic endeavors. They have been with Billie through every step of her superstardom journey.
Between her highly praised Coachella 2019 set– where she met Katy Perry and thought her boyrfrien Orlando Bloom was only a random guy– and her transitioning from a young teenager to young adult, viewers are treated with a sincere glimpse of who Eilish is.
The film is available for streaming on Apple TV+.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Ashley Barrientos, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com.
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