‘A Star Is Born’ (2018)

‘A Star Is Born’ is a 2018 remake of the previous films by the same name. With a whole new soundtrack, the film manages to uplift your spirit, and shatter your heart into pieces, soley through the lyrics and vocals. ‘Lady Gaga’ plays “Ally’, and aspiring songwriter and singer, who meets world famous performer ‘Jackson’ (Bradley Cooper), who pushes her towards great things in the music industry, as they also become romatically involved.

Having already seen ‘Lady Gaga’ as her roles in ‘American Horror Story’. I knew she was a fantastic actress, and her singin throughout the film, managed to thoroughly amaze me. The songs convey so much emotion, with ‘Gaga’ adding much more depth to them using her fantastic vocals. The narritive itself is very serious, exploring topics such as drug and alchohol addiction, through the character ‘Jackson’. I think the narritive is quite emotionally draining, with fantastic cinematography conveying ‘Jackson’s’ problems, and the effects they are having on his partner ‘Ally’.

As the story progresses, we see ‘Jackson’ become worse, as Ally rises to fame. This is very symbolic, as we start to see Jackson take a back seat, allowing him to turn to drugs and alchohol even more. The film portrays addiction in a very symbolic way, and I am hopeful, it will start conversations on the effects of addiction, not only on the person, but on the people around them. The music enhances the plot, giving more feeling to the scenes, with the last song ‘I’ll never love again’ practically destroying the audience with emotion. The love that blossoms between ‘Ally’ and ‘Jackson’ is seen from the audience as fairly toxic, with Ally having to deal with the consequences of ‘Jacksons’ actions. However, we can see how much they adore one another, which is what makes the end of the film so incredibly heartbreaking.

After leaving the screening of the film, I must admit, I was not amazed, and found parts fairly dull. However, like many do, I spent the next few hours thinking about the film, and listening to a few of the songs from the soundtrack. Sometimes, it can take the audience a while to appreciate the storyline, and the songs, but after contemplating it, I realised that the film is so important, in that the narritive is such a good representation of the stuggles of life, and conveys the idea that not every story must have a happy ending. The movie also puts across the idea that fame is not everything, and is quite soul destroying in the way that it makes people realise that nobody’s life is perfect, and nobody knows what is going on in people’s lives behind closed doors.

So what did I take away from the film? Well, obviously I took away a whole new album of songs to add to my playlist, purely because the music score was perfection, but I also took away a new perception on relationships. No relationship is without faults, and a lot of the time, it isn’t about going on dates and being happy, it’s a lot about taking care of one another, through the good and the bad. As it’s a musical film, I feel I should be talking more about the soundtrack, however, I have already expressed how amazing the songs in the film are, but the narritive is so important, with how it portrays life in general, and the problems people face. With a lot of musical movies, I feel that the plot adds to the songs, with the music being the main focus. However, with this film, I feel the music adds to the plot. The narritive is so strong, and the music only makes it stronger. I would highly reccomend this film. However, if you are looking for a feel-good musical film, this is not for you. The film discusses very raw themes, and is highly dramatic and full of sensitive topics. A truly brilliant film, but not one I would watch a thousand times over, due to it’s highly emotional aspects.