Lady Gaga: Five Foot Two begins where it ends, like Stefani aka Gaga herself, who is nothing less than the phoenix. Chris Moukarbel’s backstage documentary feels like an unplugged performance, with Gaga singing through the highs and lows of her rockstar life.
She likes being unpredictable, one can tell. But a viewer doesn’t quite expect such up, close and personal access to the woman, the family gal, the daughter and the boss that she is, even in her most vulnerable moments of physical and mental pain.
Moukarbel’s focus is neither her career highs, nor how she made it big. That alone sets this film apart from the regular docu fare. But he takes the story much further by capturing the talent and dedication of this artist, as she deals with loneliness, anxiety, crippling pain and the hope of having kids someday. He takes Gaga out of her surreal visions and now she stands naked, minus all the glitter.
Two moments particularly stand out in this candid Gaga saga- the personal story behind her last super hit album Joanne and her biggest achievement, Superbowl halftime. With tears rolling down her face, Gaga believes she is Joanne herself. As she reads out a poem penned by her late aunt who succumbed to lupus at the age of 19, she sobs uncontrollably, dedicating her chartbuster album to Joanne’s life. It’s an intimate moment, that Gaga shares with her father and grandmother. It stands out amidst her deafening stardom. But as soon as she has a moment of silence, her worst fears come alive. Am I going to die alone? Will I lose everyone I love? What will my life be after I’ve lived my biggest experience? That’s what she’s thinking as she puts on her shimmer suit for the Superbowl show.
At no point does the viewer feel that the film is a careful curation of moments from Lady Gaga’s life. In fact, it trashes the common belief that comes with the rockstar tag, that they are irrational, egoistic and unprofessional. To Gaga, all that matters is her family and her music. It’s a delight to see the dedicated performer in her and the effort she puts into each lyric and every song.
This film comes roughly a decade into her career, and brings up how she really feels about Madonna, her equally iconic predecessor. The comparison between Five Foot Two and Madonna’s own docu Truth or Dare is hard to ignore. But interestingly, while Gaga is all about living without being in full control of her tears and fears, Madonna’s story focused more on projecting herself as a woman in total control.
Another piercing moment in the documentary, that pretty much outlines Gaga’s persona and music, is the part when she’s getting makeup done while a doctor is sticking injections in her neck, a desperate attempt to treat her Fibromyalgia, and she’s wincing in pain. It’s very real and very far away from the illusion of a cushy pop star life.
I was curious about what Gaga had to say about Five Foot Two. And then she said it,
I might not always give the world exactly what they expect of me. But make no mistake, it is always the true me.Lady Gaga, Singer
Whether or not you’re a fan, this story speaks louder than Lady Gaga’s music, especially if you’re a woman.
(This article is from The Quint’s archives and is being reposted on the occasion of Lady Gaga’s birth anniversary.)
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