whatstheteab
VIP Member
Couldn’t find a separate thread for Selena and thought it would be interesting to make one with the release of her new documentary.
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
Selena Gomez
- Thread starter whatstheteab
- Start date
1
Glad to see this thread!
I like Selena and have done since Wizards of Waverley Place. Was interested in the press she did leading up this documentary (Rolling Stone etc) but she comes off tone-deaf and spoiled in the documentary. That aside, I don’t feel it was very well made or interesting
I like Selena and have done since Wizards of Waverley Place. Was interested in the press she did leading up this documentary (Rolling Stone etc) but she comes off tone-deaf and spoiled in the documentary. That aside, I don’t feel it was very well made or interesting
absoluterules
Active member
I like Selena as well. She's not the best singer, but she is fun to watch in Only Murders in the Building. She's a cool (comedic) actor. Not everyone can be an Oscar worthy talent.
I agree that Selena sounds tone-deaf. She always does when she tries to speak on more important topics. I'm sure it's coming from a good place, but she cannot put her thoughts into words. Like that infamous BLM tweet.
Happy to see someone agree with me I’ve been torn to shreds on Reddit because of her mental health/lupus
not once in the documentary does she acknowledge her privilege properly. I still like her and will still enjoy her in Only Murders in the Building but like I said the interviews she’s given leading up to this are much more revealing.It was also very obvious to me that she was on drugs in the opening scene, which I think they try to sweep under the rug as a time her bipolar flares up
whatstheteab
VIP Member
I was a huge fan of Selena’s for years and I feel like I learned barely anything new from the documentary. If anything, her Rolling Stone interview was a lot more insightful than anything that made the documentary. Pretty much everything featured in it was stuff that had already been made public (the reason behind the tour cancellation, being tired of the industry, mental hospital, her fallout with Mandy etc.) with barely any added context. For me this documentary was a perfect representation of Selena’s image: controlled and will only show you what she wants you to see. She’s known to have one of the best PR teams in the business for a reason.
It makes no sense to me that it was filmed over a 6-year timeline yet we only got about 40 minutes (if that) of footage from 2016-2018 and most of it was from the Revival tour. Her final Instagram post before surgery that was dedicated to her fans and the actual surgery itself was a huge moment in her life and yet they barely mentioned it. Instead we got around an hour of footage from the last two years of her complaining about being in the industry?? Not even a mention of her Spanish EP, Rare Beauty, OMITB or her UEFA performance. Selena + Chef and the Rare album were essentially blink and you’ll miss them moments.
I get that the whole point of the documentary was to talk about Selena’s struggle with her mental but it feels like there was so much more that could’ve been included. They briefly touched on her struggles with breaking out from the Disney image at the start but there was a lot more to be desired. Both Miley and Demi have openly talked about having major identity issues and trauma whilst being at Disney whilst Selena has mostly spoken fondly on her Disney days in the past, so it was interesting to see a completely different narrative in the documentary. It would’ve been interesting to mention her role in Spring Breakers here too as it was her first “adult” job post-Disney.
It’s not that surprising that they didn’t delve much into her relationship with Justin but it felt slightly disingenuous to barely mention it at all. Her relationship with Abel wasn’t even mentioned once either, which could’ve made for an interesting contrast (even if it was just for PR).
Overall, it wasn’t a terrible documentary but it felt empty and incomplete. I read somewhere that the director was worried that it was too long and ended up cutting a whole hours worth of content before the final version and I think that decision has ultimately hindered the final product. It really would’ve benefited from being a two-part series with one half focusing on 2016-2018 and the other half on 2019-now. That being said I don’t think the latter half should’ve taken up as much runtime as it did in general.
I doubt it’ll happen but I really hope they release the directors cut.
It makes no sense to me that it was filmed over a 6-year timeline yet we only got about 40 minutes (if that) of footage from 2016-2018 and most of it was from the Revival tour. Her final Instagram post before surgery that was dedicated to her fans and the actual surgery itself was a huge moment in her life and yet they barely mentioned it. Instead we got around an hour of footage from the last two years of her complaining about being in the industry?? Not even a mention of her Spanish EP, Rare Beauty, OMITB or her UEFA performance. Selena + Chef and the Rare album were essentially blink and you’ll miss them moments.
I get that the whole point of the documentary was to talk about Selena’s struggle with her mental but it feels like there was so much more that could’ve been included. They briefly touched on her struggles with breaking out from the Disney image at the start but there was a lot more to be desired. Both Miley and Demi have openly talked about having major identity issues and trauma whilst being at Disney whilst Selena has mostly spoken fondly on her Disney days in the past, so it was interesting to see a completely different narrative in the documentary. It would’ve been interesting to mention her role in Spring Breakers here too as it was her first “adult” job post-Disney.
It’s not that surprising that they didn’t delve much into her relationship with Justin but it felt slightly disingenuous to barely mention it at all. Her relationship with Abel wasn’t even mentioned once either, which could’ve made for an interesting contrast (even if it was just for PR).
Overall, it wasn’t a terrible documentary but it felt empty and incomplete. I read somewhere that the director was worried that it was too long and ended up cutting a whole hours worth of content before the final version and I think that decision has ultimately hindered the final product. It really would’ve benefited from being a two-part series with one half focusing on 2016-2018 and the other half on 2019-now. That being said I don’t think the latter half should’ve taken up as much runtime as it did in general.
I doubt it’ll happen but I really hope they release the directors cut.
You articulated it better than I could! She says at the start she will only tell us her darkest secrets but she doesn’t say anything that wasn’t already known
absoluterules
Active member
Maybe to the average person, it was revealing information. But if you spend any time on gossip forums/looking into Selena's life, the info is nothing new and not even "dark secrets."
KYLIE
VIP Member
Weirds me out seeing celebrities visit poor people they went to school with. It's a sightseeing trip for them but this is the life of a real person... Selena is worth $100m+ and will happily film her old school friends/contacts for her documentary but wont drop a dime on them....
This in particular felt so exploitative - especially when she just showed up at the school and to her old neighbour who was obviously ill. Fair enough if they keep in contact but it was clear they didn’t
getawaywithit
VIP Member
I thought the documentary was poorly done— not Selena’s fault but the director’s. It seemed to be going somewhere at first and then the second half just fell off.
I can sympathize with a lot of what she goes through but also there is so much about her life that likely keeps her in a bad place. She needs more independence and structure and to learn self responsibility. I say that while recognizing some of the same issues in her that I myself have dealt with.
That’s why it made me cringe to see the way she is coddled… being woken up in bed and fed breakfast and having a friend sleeping next to you all the time and the whole room falling silent to hear any complaint she has and all the codependency, it’s bad for her! I know she feels that sort of thing is helpful because it’s comforting but it’s not.
Even little things like just setting her own alarm and getting herself up and having some sort of her own morning routine. This is why celebs get stuck at the age they became famous— she doesn’t act like a grown woman and then wonders why she feels inferior and incapable. I also think that at some point she does need to grow up and decide what she wants to do, and if she chooses the entertainment industry then that means she needs to stop acting as though it’s been put on her and she hates it all.
That said, I do like Selena more in the last few years because I do think she is someone who has found a purpose and actually follows through. But I feel bad that she is being enabled in some ways that prevent her from really growing.
I can sympathize with a lot of what she goes through but also there is so much about her life that likely keeps her in a bad place. She needs more independence and structure and to learn self responsibility. I say that while recognizing some of the same issues in her that I myself have dealt with.
That’s why it made me cringe to see the way she is coddled… being woken up in bed and fed breakfast and having a friend sleeping next to you all the time and the whole room falling silent to hear any complaint she has and all the codependency, it’s bad for her! I know she feels that sort of thing is helpful because it’s comforting but it’s not.
Even little things like just setting her own alarm and getting herself up and having some sort of her own morning routine. This is why celebs get stuck at the age they became famous— she doesn’t act like a grown woman and then wonders why she feels inferior and incapable. I also think that at some point she does need to grow up and decide what she wants to do, and if she chooses the entertainment industry then that means she needs to stop acting as though it’s been put on her and she hates it all.
That said, I do like Selena more in the last few years because I do think she is someone who has found a purpose and actually follows through. But I feel bad that she is being enabled in some ways that prevent her from really growing.
Silverback
VIP Member
I’m certain that she had to have a kidney due to drugs/ alcohol- or at least that’s what all the blinds were saying back then.
I always side eyed Selena since the kidney thing…it’s so clear she just used Francia, I hope she at least got a lot of money because that’s a whole organ she was guilted into giving up
Yes she gave Selena a kidney but what that quote is missing out is that Selena was specifically talking about the music industry, and Francia is an actress. I agree though, Selena clearly was an abuser of drugs and that was partially why she needed a new kidney.
Francia has unfollowed her now - it’s getting messssy!
Also if Taylor is her only friend in the biz, why did she have such a star-studded 30th birthday earlier this year with A-listers attending? She needs to be careful what she’s saying
Francia has unfollowed her now - it’s getting messssy!
Also if Taylor is her only friend in the biz, why did she have such a star-studded 30th birthday earlier this year with A-listers attending? She needs to be careful what she’s saying
Yeah but Francia wasn’t even mentioned or featured in her documentary by name just as the girl who gave a kidney…
Tbh I thought they fell out ages ago like right after she gave the kidney
getawaywithit
VIP Member
I don’t think she was only talking about the music industry, nowhere in the quote or context does it indicate that at all— she even says celebrities too. That just seems like a quick excuse made up by Selena fans lol. That said, it seems a strange quote to get so upset about since it could easily have just been misspeaking or whatever. It seems there is more going on.
Obviously it’s a very complex situation to navigate. We don’t really know how their friendship played out after the donation and why some people might feel the way they do. It makes sense to feel angry if you give a kidney and the friendship changes for the worse somehow, but at the same time perhaps there is no way to show adequate ‘gratitude’. Idk there’s so much we don’t know, but what an awful situation.
Obviously it’s a very complex situation to navigate. We don’t really know how their friendship played out after the donation and why some people might feel the way they do. It makes sense to feel angry if you give a kidney and the friendship changes for the worse somehow, but at the same time perhaps there is no way to show adequate ‘gratitude’. Idk there’s so much we don’t know, but what an awful situation.
KYLIE
VIP Member
This seems like more of a 'straw that broke the camels back' type situation and there is more to this for sure.
Selena never specified music industry. She clearly meant entertainment industry / hollywood generally -and Francia is in the industry. She is an actress, has been for years in a few TV shows as a main cast member quite successfully now. Might not be A-List but she is in the acting industry and I think she probably has deep regrets about giving her kidney to Selena now.
"'I never fit in with a cool group of girls that were celebrities. My only friend in the industry really is Taylor [Swift], so I remember feeling like I didn't belong."
Selena never specified music industry. She clearly meant entertainment industry / hollywood generally -and Francia is in the industry. She is an actress, has been for years in a few TV shows as a main cast member quite successfully now. Might not be A-List but she is in the acting industry and I think she probably has deep regrets about giving her kidney to Selena now.
"'I never fit in with a cool group of girls that were celebrities. My only friend in the industry really is Taylor [Swift], so I remember feeling like I didn't belong."
grannypants
VIP Member
I think I might be in the minority here but I had to turn off the documentary halfway through as I thought she came across really badly and the whole thing was infuriating me.
I completely understand that being in the public eye for so many can be mentally destructive and how important it is to show those issues, but I found it very draining the way she was complaining about every little part of her job, from the tour to the press and everything else! I might get backlash for posting this but I watching it I honestly thought… ok this industry is clearly taking a massive toll on you. So maybe it’s not the right industry for you? The girl has millions to her name, maybe it’s time to take a step back and prioritise her mental health as she clearly cannot stand the strain.
She seems like a nice girl but I thought the documentary did her no favours.
I completely understand that being in the public eye for so many can be mentally destructive and how important it is to show those issues, but I found it very draining the way she was complaining about every little part of her job, from the tour to the press and everything else! I might get backlash for posting this but I watching it I honestly thought… ok this industry is clearly taking a massive toll on you. So maybe it’s not the right industry for you? The girl has millions to her name, maybe it’s time to take a step back and prioritise her mental health as she clearly cannot stand the strain.
She seems like a nice girl but I thought the documentary did her no favours.