At the age of only thirteen, Billie Eilish released a song called Ocean Eyes and then the world broke. Three years later everything in Billie’s life was changing. It was the start of something big, she was a true overnight success. Nobody had heard of her one day, then next she became a music sensation. Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry is a documentary on how her life has blossomed in that time. From her creative process, to touring, her love life, her friendships and the many Grammy nominations (and wins), to her downfalls and injuries, to forgetting song lyrics and going through the normal heartbreak all 17-year-olds go through. This is the story of how a regular teenage girl went on to become a global phenomenon within the space of only a few years.
Billie Eilish is loved by millions with 76.4 million Instagram followers at the time of writing. With songs like Bad Guy, Bury a Friend, All The Good Girls Go To Hell, You Should See Me In a Crown, My Strange Addiction and of course Ocean Eyes, it’s no doubt that Billie has shot to stardom by popular demand. This documentary by R.J.Cutler is a fantastic insight into the world of Billie and how she creates her music. It features the highs, the lows, the good and the bad. Nothing is off limits. The only downside I would say is that it runs at 2 hours 20 minutes, which is a tad too long and it does feel like it drags at times.
We sense the good fortune that her family is musical and always supportive. They are with her all the way, on tour, at home – working with her and helping her to shape herself to be who she wants to be, and not who people want her to be. She is adamant with that, especially with her songs. Often she would get criticised for how dark her music is, but she would simply respond by saying she only knows how to feel dark and she only creates songs based on how she feels, because at the end of the day that’s the “best kind of music”. If there was one word to describe how Billie is, it would be “unconventional”, because that’s exactly what she is. She’s an unconventional “pop star”… and everyone loves it. She is completely herself and very unique, and seems to be a genuine soul.
This documentary is a great piece of entertainment, beautifully capturing Billie’s life and her essence and is intimate and insightful. It travels through the year she turned 17 to when she was 18 and won her (first of many) Grammys. “I’m afraid I’ll wake up and I won’t have this anymore”. It’s safe to say, Billie Eilish won’t be going anywhere for a long time.
“Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry” will be released in theaters by NEON and premieres globally on Apple TV+ on February 26, 2021.