With the makeup company, Haus Laboratories, recently launched, we wanted to go back to Lady Gaga’s music and world. The best way? The Netflix documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two. This is our monthly minema. SPOILER ALERT LEVEL 5/5 (this is a documentary guys).
If you don’t know who Lady Gaga is: Welcome to the Internet. The New York singer, with Italian origins, got her stage name from Queen’s song Radio Gaga. But more than just a singer, Gaga is a complete artist. With this documentary, somewhat unbalanced, we see her in times of glory and vulnerability.
Being an international phenomenon isn’t easy and asks for a lot of work and sacrifices. At least, for the one her relatives still call Stefani Germanotta, those are necessary to achieve perfection, an ideal. And she gets there. Her career shows it already.
Businesswoman as much as musician or actress, Gaga welcomes us at home right after the announcement of pre-production for A Star Is Born with Bradley Cooper. We know how that story ends. The idea is to follow Gaga through her rebirth phase. Soberer outfits, simpler in many ways, she unveils her talent to compose, record and deliver Joanne to the world. Another story we know by heart.
Last, but not least, there’s that February 2017 Superbowl that was expected to be wonderful and that has been, with no surprise, a success. But, in that case, is that documentary so useful? Little to no stakes, three out of three successes, a still blossoming career and not many risks taken. Right. But this is not the aim of the documentary here to talk about failure and success. Everything is in the process.
It is all about seeing the artist working, whether in joy or in pain, without ever really stopping. Even on holidays, Gaga seems to stay alert. And when she’s rehearsing with her dancers, it is a lesson about excelling oneself and exigence that we watch. Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger… Keeping your head high and always going for more. Everything here could make us think that Gaga is a tyrant… But, actually, we feel her authenticity, her stress and implication in every inch of the creation process.
Empathetic with her pain caused by a wound, we follow her everywhere, from laughter to tears, without ever asking ourselves why we started this film. We want to see her succeed, and there’s no suspense, as stated above, but we mostly want to see why and how. No imposter syndrome here for Gaga, and if luxury seems all around her, the simplicity and humanity she shows erase it instantly. Lady Gaga has a great soul.
Trailer: