The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, March 10, 2021 — 7

It is always exciting to get a look 

behind the curtain. In R.J. Cutler’s 
(“Belushi”) new documentary, “Billie 
Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” 
he lifts the veil on the pop icon, who 
turns out to be just another teenager. 
In 140 minutes, Cutler mixes concert 
videography, 
home 
video 
and 

backstage footage of Eilish’s life to tell 
the story of superstardom. 

As the documentary tracks the 

conception and recording of her 
debut studio album — When We All 
Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? — 
the viewer is let into Eilish’s inner 
sanctum. Now 19 years old, Billie 
was only 15 at the beginning of the 
documentary and 18 when she swept 
the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, 
becoming the youngest ever to win in 
several categories. 

While pop newcomers like Olivia 

Rodrigo and Conan Gray have drawn 
comparisons to Taylor Swift and 
Lorde, the documentary positions 
Eilish’s predecessor as … Justin 
Bieber? Starting with a call from 
a manager about Bieber’s interest 
in collaborating and ending with 
a 
congratulatory 
FaceTime 
call 

backstage at Eilish’s 2020 Grammy 
sweep — one throughline is Eilish’s 
intense adoration, not necessarily of 
Bieber’s music, but of the artist himself. 
Still, after meeting him at Coachella, 
she sings every word to “Fall” — a song 
that sounds utterly boring sandwiched 
between Eilish’s discography. 

It would be easy to call Bieber 

and Eilish opposites. To start, Eilish 
writes her own music at home with 
her brother, Finneas, while one can 
picture the entourage that has likely 
surrounded Bieber in the studio at 
all points in his career. A different 
argument, one that the documentary 
seems to make, is that Billie is her 
generation’s Bieber. Her music is 
“sad,” but as evidenced by the growing 
hordes of adoring fans, people her age 
are looking for someone who sings 
about feeling numb or broken — 
accompanied by the sounds of dental 
drills and crosswalk buzzing, no less. 

This is what makes one of the 

few scenes without Eilish so funny. 
Before the release of her debut album, 
Finneas explains to their parents that 
they need to write a hit song to please 
their record label. Of course, what 
they didn’t know is that they already 
had. “Bad Guy” — a song that Eilish 
represents with eel-like monsters 
in her journal — ousted the record-
smashing “Old Town Road” in the 
summer of 2019. The higher-ups 
wanted something more “accessible” 
but didn’t realize just how “accessible” 

a teenager’s threats to seduce your dad 
can be, at least when Eilish is doing it. 

Despite Eilish’s dark lyrics and 

frank statements on mental health, 
we are welcomed into a loving and 
incredibly supportive family home. 
Eilish is coddled at times and spoiled 
at others, like when she is given her 
dream car on her 16th birthday. All of 
this, footage of a comfortable life in a 
warm home, reminds the viewer that 
mental wellness is often independent 
of one’s family situation; Eilish’s 
mom even says, “It is a horrible time 
to be a teenager.” Citing the 2008 
recession, climate change, racism and 
the opioid epidemic, she says, “Kids 
are depressed, it’s a scary time.” But 
outside factors aren’t solely to blame. 
Adolescence is difficult, no matter 
how loved and supported one might 
be. 

Much of the film is about Eilish’s 

adolescence. Her woes are familiar 
— a boyfriend who has no time for 
her, a sense of self-consciousness 
(exacerbated by her fame) and a 
bad case of imposter syndrome. 
Throughout the film we glimpse her 
feelings of unworthiness; she fears 

letting her supporters down and doubts 
her own abilities. The arrogance of 
adolescence is on display too. Eilish 
seems to be under the impression that 
her own creative vision is unmatched; 
after a bad experience working with 
the director of one of her first music 
videos, she declared she would direct 
them herself in the future (and made 
good on that declaration).

This was another common thread 

throughout the documentary — few 
people seem to grasp where Billie’s 
power comes from. When the 
screen at Coachella isn’t working 
correctly, Eilish is adamant that it 
displays her planned visuals, not 
her. Then in Italy, she runs off stage 
when she tears ligaments in her leg 
because she’s scared she can’t give 
the crowd a good show without 
jumping around. Even though her 
management assures her that the 
audience is there to see her, not the 
spectacle, Billie knows it’s about 
something more. 

Her fans want to see themselves 

in her and her brand — in tarantulas 
and uninhibited dancing. Despite 
claiming to “hate songwriting,” 
Eilish knows that she has tapped 
into a highly accessible weird. It’s 
no wonder then that the handful of 
40-something-year-old, white, male 
executives don’t clap when Billie 
and Finneas finish playing new 
music for them. 

One insufficiently explored aspect 

of the film was the burden of stardom. 
When Eilish is criticized online for 
being rude during a meet-and-greet, 
she laments that she “can’t have a 
bad moment.” It is clear that Eilish 

wasn’t in this for fame, but it can’t be 
said that she doesn’t enjoy it. Fame 
has consequences for young people: 
Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and, 
yes, Justin Bieber, come to mind. 

When a member of Eilish’s 

public relations team suggests she 
withhold her (negative) opinions on 
drugs and alcohol, lest she grows up 
to change her mind, Eilish’s mother 
has a naïve response. Her mother 
lets the viewer in on her own fears, 
saying, “Why are your parents with 
you all the time … trying to help you 
not to decide to destroy your life 
like people in your shoes have done 
before.” The reality is, no amount 
of parental oversight can save a kid 
from the inferno of fame. And, to be 
clear, no one “decides” to succumb 
to that sort of pressure.

Moments like that one, and when 

Eilish’s mother worries about the 
freshly-licensed pop star driving 
to West Hollywood alone, only 
reinforce the normalcy of Billie’s 
home life. The presence of her 
parents only strengthens the fact 
that Eilish was only 16 years old 
when she toured around the world. 

Billie Eilish is the product of 

unconditional support from her 
family. The love she shares with 
her 
brother 
is 
heartwarming. 

The lesson to be learned is that 
teenage 
superstars 
are 
still 

adolescents 
with 
adolescent 

problems and that acknowledging 
and embracing one’s demons can 
unlock a supportive community 
that celebrates and shares your 
weirdness.

The 
relationship 
between 
a 

mother and daughter is always 
powerful — but have you ever 
wondered what kind of dynamic a 
white mother has with her biracial 
daughter when they are just 15 
years apart in age? It’s a relationship 
worth examining, and “Ginny and 
Georgia” gives you a front-row seat. 

The series is supposed to be a 

modern-day “Gilmore Girls,” but it’s 
far from it. Perhaps it could be better 
described as a mix of “Euphoria” 
and “Black-ish” with a hint of “How 
to Get Away With Murder,” and 
undertones of sex, drugs, money and 
murder. The show, though produced 

by Netflix, has an HBO style to it, 
which makes the plot high-quality 
and entertaining. 

The drama follows a family of 

three in the fictional New England 
town of Wellsbury, Mass., where 
they’ve relocated to start a new life. 
Wellsbury is the kind of town where 
if you’re a minority, you stick out like 
a sore thumb, and if you come from 
wealth, you’ll fit right in. 

Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey, 

“Batwoman”) 
is 
the 
mother 

of 
15-year-old 
daughter 
Ginny 

(Antonia Gentry, “Raising Dion”) 
and son Austin (Diesel La Torraca, 
“Heroes for A Day”) who plays more 
of a best friend role to her children. 
After the shocking death of her 
wealthy ex-husband, Georgia is on 
the prowl in search of the next best 

thing, while Ginny struggles to be 
the new girl for the thousandth 
time as her mom is always running 
from her past. As she adjusts to 
new friends, new boys and new 
experiences, Ginny is faced with the 
cold hard truth of what it means to 
be in strife with her identity.

Faced with microaggressions, 

racial injustice and the dreaded 
questions 
about 
her 
racial 

background, Ginny is constantly 
reminded what it means to be 
biracial and the complexities 
that it brings to her life, no 
matter how hard she tries to 
ignore it. “Ginny and Georgia” 
presents itself merely as an 
emotional tale between a mother 
and daughter, but the show uses 
this trope as a vessel to tell a 

much bigger story about the 
nuances of social identity. 

What’s so great about this 

series is its way of depicting the 
social injustice and discrimination 
Ginny experiences without any 
sugarcoating. It portrays real-life 
situations faced by biracial people, 
like being singled out in AP English 
under the assumption that they’re 
unable to “keep up,” or taking the 
fall for stealing even though their 
white-identifying friends were the 
main culprits. The show allows for 
further discussion on why Black-
white biracial people could never 
be seen as two races, and why they 
are often only associated with their 
minority side and treated as such. 

The objective of the show is 

to feel empathy for Ginny. Who 

can she talk to as the only biracial 
person in her family and the only 
person of color in her friend group? 
In a sense, the show attempts 
to form some relatability for its 
biracial viewers who may be in the 
same boat. 

Sure, shows that include topics 

about race and identity could be 

considered cliché, but it’s up to the 
viewers to dissect the meaning of 
what it means to be biracial in a 
racialized society. The series opens 
up many doors for conversation, and 
if you’re okay with watching Ginny’s 
character constantly go through 
emotional turmoil, prepare to learn 
something new. 

Science fiction has long been an 

effective medium for examining 
deep questions of humanity, morality 
and our relationship with rapidly 
evolving technology as the world 
changes underfoot daily. Some of the 
best works of sci-fi, such as the 1982 
neo-noir thriller “Blade Runner,” or 
2014’s macabre “Ex Machina,” make 
this interrogation look easy. But that 
couldn’t be further from the truth. 
Parables about human identity and 
relationships take time, effort and a 
deep desire to probe into the status 
quo. That might be why I’m surprised 
that the next big property to take a 
shot at this type of groundbreaking 
questioning is “Splatoon 3.”

Announced during the most 

recent Nintendo Direct, “Splatoon 
3” is the third entry in Nintendo’s 
squid-themed third-person shooter 
series. Splatoon’s main appeal has 
always been its surprisingly addictive 
multiplayer option, where modes 
range from the paint-the-map based 
“Turf War” to the cooperative 
horde mode “Salmon Run.” There 
are single-player modes present in 
2015’s “Splatoon” and its 2017 sequel 
“Splatoon 2,” but the campaigns 
generally felt like a loosely connected 
bunch of levels rather than a true 
narrative. If the announcement trailer 
is anything to go by, “Splatoon 3” looks 
to buck that trend by establishing 
a new setting for our squid-kids to 
explore. But this isn’t what caught my 
attention along with many other fans. 

When creating a character in 

the previous two games, players 
were forced to choose between a 
male or female body type. No such 
option exists in what we have seen 
of “Splatoon 3,” merely the choice 

between hair length and whether you 
want to be a squid-based Inkling or 
octopus-based Octoling. There is no 
gender in the world of “Splatoon 3,” 
and I couldn’t be happier about it. 

In a world that is rapidly changing, 

it has become increasingly difficult for 
game developers to ignore accurate 
representation of the LGBTQIA+ 
community. No longer are queer 
voices shoved back into the closet; 
to actively not include any queer 
representation is to exclude a vocal 
minority of gamers and their allies. 
Not only does it make for bad optics, 
but there are growing financial and 
societal repercussions for such a 
negative decision. Even still, not every 
developer chooses to acknowledge 
real-world issues. Nintendo has long 
been the top culprit for refusing 
to place real-world issues in their 
“family-friendly games,” which is 
why the decision to throw out gender 
in “Splatoon 3” is so refreshing.

Being a Japanese studio, Nintendo 

has a heritage of being on the more 
conservative side of the spectrum 
among game developers, which 
makes it all the more fascinating that 
they are doing more impactful work 
than some Western studios. Polish 
developer CD Projekt Red got flak 
for tying voice pitch to gender in their 
hard sci-fi action game “Cyberpunk 
2077” (among many other issues). 

It took over a decade for Ubisoft’s 

blockbuster “Assassin’s Creed” series 
to add a playable female character 
and still struggles with deeper issues 
apart from their generally white 
male protagonists. Even RPG darling 
Bioware has been on record saying 
it’s difficult to include non-binary 
characters since it would be “a lot of 
content.” 

Examining adolescence and stardom in ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry’

‘Splatoon 3’: The post-
apocalyptic world that 

gender forgot

‘Ginny and Georgia’ and what it means to be biracial

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

JESSICA CURNEY

Daily Arts Writer

M. DEITZ

Digital Culture Beat Editor

ROSS LONDON & 
KATIE BEEKMAN

Daily Arts Writer & Senior Arts Editor

Design by Jonathan Walsh

Neon

Netflix

YOUR WEEKLY

ARIES

Work on hidden emotions or 
repressed feelings. Journaling or 
shadow work could be very 
productive for you this week.

AQUARIUS

GEMINI

Your creative talents are exceptional-
ly strong now, so use this to your 
advantage at work and in your career.

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

SCORPIO

CANCER

There’s a lot of spiritual growth 
potential for you this week, but you 
may feel slightly uncomfortable as 
you being to question your own 
beliefs.

TAURUS

Find a new tribe of like-minded souls 
and expand your social life. It’s also a 
great week for manifesting a new life 
direction.

VIRGO

PISCES

LIBRA
LEO

Expect intense emotions within a 
relationship, but any jealousy you feel 
may also be an opportunity for 
growth and self-improvement.

Read your weekly horoscopes from astrology.tv

The New Moon in your love zone is 
great news for your relationship. 
Enjoy a magical, ethereal, romantic 
week. 

It could be a forgetful, slightly 
confusing week, but the imaginative 
vibe is great for positive creative 
visualizations.

Choose to do things simply because 
they make you happy. This is a week 
for indulging your creative streak and 
your inner child.

Love, kindness and forgiveness are 
key themes within your family this 
week, helping to heal a rift or to move 
on from a trauma.

Reach out to people you have lost 
touch with. Spending some time 
going down memory lane this week 
will make you smile.

Your relationship with money is in the 
spotlight, but your spiritual 
understanding of finance and 
abundance is growing by the day.

The deeply spiritual Pisces New Moon 
makes this an outstanding week for 
meditation, divination, prayer and 
manifestation.

WHISPER

“Somebody needs you!”

“It’s never the wrong time to 
celebrate yourself. ”

“Send someone a letter.”

