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| Scene from GaGa: Five Foot Two |
Except for Sia, there are few modern celebrities whose very appearance is mocked as much as Lady GaGa. She's done everything big and has ridden that success to chart topping hits, as well as criticism for being a Madonna clone. But what does the artist look like at 31, when the artifice becomes too ridiculous even for herself? In the new documentary GaGa: Five Foot Two, the questions are answered in a fascinating turn as she deals with growing up into a "serious" artist and making music that means something personal to her. It's likely not to win new fans, but those who love her and (in one case) have been saved by her music, it's a reminder of the tremendous sacrifice and talent that goes into being yourself in a time when sequels and reboots are the bigger draw. Among it all, Lady GaGa not only bravely changed her image, but found ways to still be true to herself.
All things considered, Five Foot Two chronicles one of the most interesting periods of her career. She has experienced sweet highs with "Born This Way," and had hit a low with "ArtPop," the latter of which embodied her creativity reaching its isolating nadir. "Joanne" would be an album that would make or break her as a significant cultural icon, and part of that intervention came with having to drop the silly gimmicks. Gone were the notorious meat dresses. In its place was a singer, worn down over time by criticism and crippling physical conditions. This documentary focuses on that in-between time when her career was at its biggest crisis. What's most incredible is that her candid nature reveals a lot of how aware she was in this tumultuous moment. She couldn't make "ArtPop 2." She needed to make something personal.
"Joanne" serves as the main soundtrack for the documentary, and it plays at differing points. In the case of the title song, Lady GaGa plays the song for her grandmother. The camera lingers on her as she listens to a song about a dead sibling. It's beautiful in its quietness, in part because there's a sense that her reassurance will make all of the difference. "Joanne" was the song that she was hanging her hat on. It would be stripped down, reflecting Lady GaGa at her most personal and sometimes naked roots. She would drop the artifice of garish outfits in favor of ballads reflecting her personal struggle. Sure, there were silly pop songs like "Ayo" and "John Wayne," but they felt like they said more about Lady GaGa as a person and less as an icon largely mocked.
As much as it's driven by music, this is a story about the artist at 31, trying to determine what the rest of her career would be. She had proven everything that she needed to, and "Joanne" was a chance to grow old with her audience. As much as she was still young and wore short shorts and small t-shirts, she reflected a maturity that went beyond her public image. Here was a woman dealing with medical problems, a literal bad romance, and the struggles of experiencing your mortality. For a woman who seemed indestructible only a few years prior, Five Foot Two does an incredible job of making the might seem meek and familiar. Suddenly she isn't just a singer falling onto the Super Bowl from the raptors. She's a perfectionist with insecurities just like us all.
The cult of Lady GaGa is very apparent in pop culture, and the documentary manages to highlight enough of it to show her staying power. For someone who felt like a novelty act on "The Fame," she was now a leader of pop music making music that transcended pop hits. As she performed "Perfect Illusion," audio clips criticized the song as being too different. The struggle to explore creativity amid a judgmental world add an extra weight to Five Foot Two. Especially coming off of "ArtPop," Lady GaGa's defiant need to be more than bombast adds an insecurity, as if she's introducing herself all over again to the public. In some ways she is, but she has the added benefit of being an international superstar at the same time.
It's tough to say this early after its release where "Joanne" will fall on Lady GaGa's career. Based on the documentary, there is a sense that it is the start of a new era. It's one where she will be more open and interesting, tearing away the parody in favor of the human. She may still sing in silly outfits, but there's something more mature about the mentality behind the wardrobe. She wants to write ballads about her family and promote a message of unity through songs like "A Million Reasons." It helps if you love Lady GaGa, as this is a perfect addition to the career retrospective. If you're not, it's kind of a drag exploring the struggle to be human while being a pop star. You'll still respect her, but it may be hard to care for the entire running time otherwise.
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