Miss Americana (2020) is an American documentary directed by Lana Wilson about the life of famous singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Netflix categorizes it as an inspirational movie, so I just couldn’t not see it.
I watched the movie as soon as it appeared on Netflix. And even now, after about two weeks of viewing it, I’m still feeling that same emotion. What’s interesting is that for all of those two weeks, the only two words that were typed into my Spotify search were Taylor Swift. Of course, I had listened to her songs before, but frankly, I didn’t get too deep into her personality. And I hadn’t really listened to so many of her songs for two consecutive weeks before. And only now is my Spotify search getting more varied :). The movie really captivated me from the very first minute, and the interest remained even after it was over.
The film reaffirms to me that every story of fame has its price. In the movie “I read the message” on how easy it is to be condemned. Especially if you are a famous person in the world, who is followed and judged in every step. And how hard it is to live with it and to survive it. One thing is to talk about it, to write about it or see it in a movie, and to survive it is a whole different experience.
To me, she is a strong woman whose dreams are so great that they cannot be forgotten. Her songs cannot be unrecorded. And this film is an open, heartfelt story about experiences, frustrations, way of creativity and self-rediscovery.
The story of Taylor Swift is told from the very beginning, when dreams were still in her diary pages. The exciting moment is when you get the confirmation that at the beginning, everyone starts out the same and everything starts from scratch. And such world-famous celebrities start from that very beginning. This may seem obvious, but sometimes we forget it! The forgetfulness is reflected in the often heard words: she’s good, she has everything. All roads are open to her – she’s a world-famous star. The film clearly conveys that the fruits of labor are not picked immediately and that it is a reward for hard and purposeful work, not an unexpected success.
Taylor Swift:
– “I became the person everyone wants to be” What does it really mean to be a world-famous star?
And what happens when the floodlights go out?
Probably a lot of people would like to be in her place and that is understandable. After all, it is not only glory, a lot of money, but also recognition and a great deal of self-realization. I don’t really know what it means to release a music album when you’re just a teenager, with copy sales going higher than other artists’ that year, but I can imagine what it means to live when the joy of your life depends on the judgement and recognition from other people. It’s like walking on a rope – a very small gap between euphoria and frustration. From the feeling that life has never been better, to the feeling that you no longer have control of the situation.
I don’t know how strong you have to be to withstand such a roller coaster! And can you be prepared for it? And that’s the other side of the coin that describes the life of a world-famous star. One day you are adored and the next you are judged. Not only do you have to live with it, but with all that noise, you have to find your voice and dare to express your opinion on the issues you care about.
Ultimately, stories like this inspire me not to stop when something is not going the way I want. Encourages action and pursuit, to search, to discover and to try, when disappointed – to live on and to move on.