“One Direction: This Is Us” (2013)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2515086/?ref_=nv_sr_1
3-D Documentary
Cast: Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson
Five adolescent boys stand on a flashy, brightly light stage. Girls are screaming all around them, producing a deafening roar that stays in their ears long after the show has ended. They belt out the words to their catchy tunes that have been crafted for their target audience’s ear. This is a typical day in the life of, currently, the biggest boy band on the planet. Or is it?
The band says countless times throughout the documentary that this type of admiration and attention is not something that they could ever get used to. The purpose of this documentary is aimed at conveying to their support system, the fans, that they are “normal boys doing an abnormal job.”
For me, the message was received loud and clear and I felt a connection on a more realistic, human level than I had previously expected. The documentary takes us though the five boys’ lives individually and before the success of the band. All of their stories contain a similar theme; they grew up in middle-class homes and were planning for a rather average life. It then takes the viewer through the early stages of the band’s formation on the British reality music show called Xfactor.
We are then guided to take a ride on the journey that these boys took to get to where they are now. Interviews, award shows, late nights, recording and filming were all showcased as part of the experience. The movie highlights interactions between band members, scenes from everyday life, interviews with family and friends and concert footage. As enjoyable as the concert footage was, I felt that there was too much of it featured in the documentary. The point of the movie was to show them as human beings and not put them on a stage pedestal. I feel that if they would have stuck with more of the normal routines that they claim to have, it would have felt less manufactured.
As a fan girl myself, I was once again reminded that at the end of the day, they are just boys. They are just like the guys that I come in contact with every day. The movie was a good reminder that we are all human when it comes down to it. We are all people, we all want to be successful in the life and we all want to be loved. This documentary made me much more aware of the humanness and reality behind this fascinating and seemingly unrealistic success story.
If you are not a devoted fan of One Direction, I would not suggest seeing this movie or even buying it when it comes out on DVD. If they mean nothing to you, then as far as you are concerned 11$ is a waste of your money. If you love them, go for it, it’s incredible.
