In some of the documentary’s most painful moments Selena Gomez: My mind and me, with Apple TV+, the actress and singer seems deeply tormented. This is seen in the opening sequence of the production, in which he appears during the press conference for his Revival tour.
Also in many other not so famous or public moments. Gomez looks in the mirror, smiling briefly in front of the crowds of fans. The scene captured how she is about to take the stage. But the effect is the same. The pop star is on the verge of exhaustion. A tense face, pale skin and, in the end, an expression of intimate suffering that makes it clear that she is experiencing a moment beyond her control.
Director Alek Keshishyan is looking for Selena Gomez: My mind and me so that the camera’s gaze is not intrusive, cruel or unforgiving. It succeeds and, in fact, turns the production’s imperfect storytelling honesty into one of the story’s greatest achievements. Selena Gomez doesn’t want to talk about her mental and physical ailments from a lesson or persuasion in power.
In fact, both the way he tells his story and the way he looks at them from the side is based on vulnerability. In an opportunity to show how real – at times ruthless – were his suffering. But in particular, how does this experience relate to the woman she is today?
The painful weight of fame Selena Gomez: My mind and me
Of course, Selena Gomez: My mind and me this does not apply to the life of an ordinary woman. The production takes fame as a necessary context. But, unlike many other productions, this circumstance must be taken into account in order to better understand – and deeper – Gomez. Not the center of the narrative, much less the thread that sets the pace and tone of the documentary.
The actress and singer appears as a woman who passed adolescence under the pressure of public attention. In addition, he had to deal with what happened to his medical staff in the face of collective control.
Selena Gomez: My mind and me it’s an elaborate tour of both, but it doesn’t pick on either. Before that, he supports his speech on a certain idea: who are we in our ailments? How can a talented young woman understand herself through her weakness?
Gomez, who suffers from lupus, anxiety and depression, struggled with her body and mind for nearly a decade. The documentary shows her increasingly hectic pace of work, demands for fame and a promising career.
Even more so when dealing with his growing physical weakness and his mental anguish from self-criticism. For a star who has been on the stage since childhood, the prospect of admitting that she did not have the strength to continue was unthinkable. At the same time, his personal history was divided into two parts. As well as your aspirations and ambitions. If something is moving Selena Gomez: My mind and me it’s an actress’s way of admitting her mistakes. But, at the same time, how it pervades our culture’s view of vulnerability.
The harsh reality behind the cameras
In 2017, the artist also underwent a kidney transplant, and at the end of that year he was diagnosed with bipolarity. Taken separately, both of these events would be traumatic enough in a young woman’s life to have long-term consequences. For Gomez, this was the starting point for reconnection with your beliefs and original ideals. The combination of both circumstances turns the story Selena Gomez: My mind and me into something alive. An even deeper look that develops, progresses and is maintained as Gomez matures.
The transition between a very young woman and one who stands on the strength of her learning is fluid. The documentary shows this in detail. But it doesn’t feel like a tabloid take on the actress’ complex relationship with fame, her body and her mind. Instead, it eschews excessive embellishment and is actually somewhat chaotic at times. But it’s this seething life story identity, with dark spaces and other shades of gray, that gives the documentary its identity.
For better or worse actress and singer grew up in front of the cameras. He also had to take a step back to find his place in the world. Selena Gomez: My mind and me talks about this long journey with care, sensitivity and respectful kindness. An introspective reflection on a celebrity who needed to find strength through her most difficult trials to understand her identity. Perhaps the only moral in an honest account of the rise and fall of a star in the making.
