Singer and songwriter the mighty Olivia Rodrigo together with Disney made a film documentary behind the making of Olivia's sour album and we are here for it!
The film which is over an hour was out on 25th March 2022 and like every livi fan, we rushed to watch it, okay l didn't rush as such but l knew l would finally get to it.
If you don't know any song on the sour album, then l don't know which era you're living in.
I know most of us were introduced to Olivia from driver's license. The minute l heard the song, l immediately fell in love. Actually, a friend told me to react to it on youtube (watch video) and after making the video, l crawled into a rabbit hole of Olivia's singing clips mostly from the High School the Musical musical, l don't even know the show.
At just 17, she was the most played artist in the world!! The entire world! Imagine what you would feel in such a situation! Pressure, everyone looking at you, whether your next work will flop.
This is why l love this film so much. It is realistic, and not just for a worldwide celebrity but we can so much relate to it in our daily lives.
When you produce really great work at work and all of a sudden you're the boss's favourite. Even when the boss is not that nice, you will definitely be the first to absorb the hit, suddenly the people in the corner office no longer see eye-to-eye with you.
Don't get me started on content creation when one of your posts/videos goes viral and suddenly you have to gravitate towards that topic for life lest you want to lose your traction...
Well, driving home 2 u implicitly unveils that not all that glitters is gold! Celebrities are human, they at times worry about who likes them and who doesn't. They scroll through Instagram feeds comparing. The least we can be is being kind.
What l liked about the film.
I love so much about this film but the first things that come to my mind will have to be;
- The scenery in which it was shot.
Yes, most of those places are where she was inspired to write the songs but the set-up, the capturing, the aesthetics! It definitely did it for me. The forest performance was my best, the gas station, the beach...arrghh it even gives me tingles just thinking back to it.
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| My favourite performance |
- The authenticity
Most of the scenes were recordings from making the album, l want to say from ideation to design (currently swimming in UX content) but the process of making a song. Those moments an idea hits you and you pull up your phone to record it before it fades away.
It really put meaning to "documentary", we were being carried along the behind-the-scenes something most documentaries don't possess.
- It was all about her
You might think this is actually a bad thing because she has friends, family, that helped her in the process of making her songs but hold your horses, let me settle the ambiguity. It's her album-making documentary, she shouldn't be overshadowed in her own movie!
Might also show proof that not every teenager has a massive of friends.
The fact that the previous performances were not let to outshine the behind the scenes performances was also a plus for me.
- The originality of the songs.
Some of the songs were presented as they appeared on the first recording before they were refined and this brings me back to the authenticity. The fact that she showed us her demo work is not a small thing.
- Love is not about age.
If you know the back story of the album then you should know that she wrote almost every song from personal feelings and emotions.
I hate it when people go like "you're just 17, you don't even know what love is" after your first heartbreak. Sour makes you believe that emotions are totally mutually exclusive with age. No matter how old or young you are, once you truly and openly give your heart to someone or something, then you will be knee-deep when the feelings are not reciprocated.
Channelling your emotions into making something creative can be a good thing.
What l did not like about the film.
Well, well, well, l didn't say everything was roses, yes there are some minor parts about the film that didn't settle well with me. It's not entitlement, like "the film wasn't made for you" it's just me being me.
- Some of the songs were not fully performed. It made me wonder they were not key or less relevant but who am l to assume!
- We didn't see the interviewer at any one point.
You know how a documentary is well put if at least we see who asks the questions while the other one answers? Yeah, l never got to see that. All the time Olivia would be like answering questions we don't even know where they were coming from.
It could be what the person wanted and we are fine with it but l personally, it didn't rub me well.
Thoughts.
Anyways, sour film is a great one if you want to have a performance experience of the album. Every performance slaps! If you a fan then this is a good one for you. If you love to see young talent, then it is a great one for you too.
I always tell people that in the next 5-10 years, the creative industry will be populated with the babies we have literally raised!
Look at Olivia Rodrigo, look at Jenna Ortega, and l can not wait to see a shift in all this.
This also indicates that we are slowly or rather rapidly ageing, facepalm!
