People may know the 31 year old “Bad Romance” artist Lady Gaga for being particularly dramatic; from the dress of raw meat she wore to the 2010 MTV Video Awards to her epic angel wing attire catwalk at last year's Victoria Secret Fashion Show. It comes as no surprise that Gaga is no stranger to being in the spotlight. Since hitting the charts in 2008 with her debut album, “The Fame,” she has released four more studio albums, three video albums and three compilation albums. Her popularity around the world has meant that as of January 2016, she had sold more than 27 million albums and over 146 million singles. However, her new netflix original documentary, “Gaga 5 Foot 2”, puts the artist in a new spotlight and we follow the story of the transformative year of Stenfani Germanotta, one which reveals that behind the bizarre costumes and intense make-up, is a talented woman full of raw truth and resilient battle.
Artfully created and directed by both Banksy profiler Chris Moukarbel and Gaga herself, the circular structure of the documentary begins with the reveal of Gaga being chosen to headline at the half time show at this years Superbowl, an honour that is taken with high pride from any American artist and ends with her opening this performance. The documentary mainly focuses on the production of her fifth studio album, “Joanne” however also highlights private battles and angst she has suffered throughout this past year. We get insight into her struggling love life, a topic that until now has been completely hidden from the eye of the public and an agonisingly heart wrenching narrative of her troubles with fibromyalgia - a disease which frequently attacks her with chronic pain and the reason behind her recent reschedule of dates for her world tour, “Joanne Ball”. The disease is suggested to even prevent her from having children and in some scenes we see her crying vulnerably with intense pain or simultaneously being prepared for her next public event while also being treated by her doctor.. Her strength shown through these scenes are undeniable and add a authentic stripped awakening to the documentary.
Germanotta also arguably unnecessarily sits topless while talking about her long running spat with Madonna, however it is left unclear about how the famous tension originated despite clearly playing a big part on Germanotta’s mind. It is easy to believe that the documentary is simply an advertisement for her recent album and her new phase, only being fully understood and sympathised by those fans who have followed Gaga’s journey and development from the start. The overall finish and production of the piece is one upmost high quality, lacing her music throughout the narrative and ironically mirroring similarities of the 1991’s Madonna: Truth or Dare.
“Gaga 5 Foot 2” will undoubtedly be devoured by Gaga fans who are also on a journey of learning self-confidence This insightful journey of Germanotta’s self reflection is one that uncovers the life of a pop star that has always been misunderstood, a pop star that works for every inch of her success and a pop star that has had enough with the media defining who she actually is.
Twitter: @_HollyOConnor_
Twitter: @_HollyOConnor_
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