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Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry

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Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry
Promotional release poster
Directed byR. J. Cutler
Written byR. J. Cutler
Produced by
  • R. J. Cutler
  • Anthony Seyler
  • Trevor Smith
  • Chelsea Dodson
  • Michelle An
  • Jay Peterson
  • Todd Lubin
  • Mark DiCristofaro
Starring
Edited by
  • Lindsey Utz
  • Greg Finton
Music by
  • Billie Eilish
  • Finneas O'Connell
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • February 26, 2021 (2021-02-26)
Running time
140 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1–2 million

Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry is a 2021 American documentary film directed by R. J. Cutler and centered around singer-songwriter Billie Eilish.[1][2] The film details Eilish's rise to fame since the release of her 2016 single "Ocean Eyes" and the creative process behind Eilish's debut studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019),[3] with the title referencing a lyric from the album track "Ilomilo".[4] The film was released in select theaters via Neon and on Apple TV+ on February 26, 2021.[5][6]

Synopsis

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Rather than a linear narrative, the film follows several intertwining plot threads in a stream-of-consciousness style.

  • Billie is seen performing her song "Ocean Eyes" at a small venue in Salt Lake City. After seeing a fan being carried out after getting hurt, she reminds the audience that they need to be okay because they are the reason that she is okay. Billie explains that she doesn't refer to her fans as "fans", but rather as a part of her. She acknowledges her audience as people going through tough times just as she is.
  • Billie and her brother Finneas are shown rehearsing and recording various songs in Billie's bedroom, including "Bury a Friend", "I Love You", "All the Good Girls Go to Hell", "My Strange Addiction", and "Wish You Were Gay".
  • Billie's mom Maggie helps Billie show off her idea for the music video for the song "When the Party's Over". At the shoot for the video, Billie becomes frustrated due to various mistakes. After the shoot, Billie says that she wants to direct the rest of her music videos by herself.
  • Several scenes depict Billie's relationship and eventual breakup with her boyfriend, whose name is given only as "Q".
  • Billie is shown earning her learner's permit and later, her driver's license. She is presented with her dream car, a matte black Dodge Challenger, as a present for her 17th birthday.
  • Billie is shown struggling with her health issues, including her Tourette syndrome and the pain in her legs due to excessive jumping at her shows. She reveals how injuries ended her dancing career when she was younger. She reveals that she used to cut her wrists with blades in the bathroom.
  • Billie and her family meet Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom at Coachella's backstage area. Katy gives Billie advice and tells her that she can call if she needs anything. Billie performs and is unimpressed with her performance due to technical difficulties and forgetting lyrics to the song "All the Good Girls Go to Hell". During Ariana Grande's set, Justin Bieber surprises Billie and they meet for the first time.
  • While on tour, Billie becomes frustrated with being forced to meet multiple media people that she deems "random". Subsequently, she deals with the fallout from this incident. At a show in Milan, Billie sprains her ankle at the start of the performance which leaves her embarrassed. She apologizes to the audience and says that she'd rather not give them a show versus give them a mediocre one.
  • The film ends where it began, showing Billie singing "Ocean Eyes", the song that launched her career.

Production

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Recording for the film began in 2018 and was completed in early 2020.[7] The Hollywood Reporter wrote in December 2019 that the film was developed with a budget between $1 million and $2 million.[7] They also claimed that the film was worth $25 million before being purchased by Apple TV+, but this claim was later denied by Eilish's team.[8][7]

Release

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Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry was officially announced via Eilish's social media profiles on September 28, 2020,[9] but had begun developing attention as soon as late 2019,[10] and more after she discussed it in several press interviews in early 2020.[11][12]

The film was released in select theaters and IMAX via Neon and on Apple TV+ on February 26, 2021.[5][6]

Critical response

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Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry was released to widespread acclaim.[13] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 100 critics have given the film a positive review, with a 7.3 out of 10 average rating. The website's critical consensus reads, "Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry offers an enlightening -- and sometimes uncomfortable -- look behind the scenes of a young star's ascension."[14] According to Metacritic, the documentary received "generally favorable reviews", based on an average score of 70 out of 100 from 23 critic reviews.[15] It was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, including the Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program, Outstanding Sound Editing, Outstanding Picture Editing, and Outstanding Music Direction.[16]

Awards and nominations

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards September 12, 2021 Outstanding Music Direction Aron Forbes Nominated [16]
Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming Greg Finton, Lindsay Utz, Azin Samari Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program Elmo Ponsdomenech, Jason Gaya, Aron Forbes, Jae Kim Nominated
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera) Richard E. Yawn, Robert Getty, Steven Avila, Shawn Kennelly, Michael Brake, Melissa Kennelly, Vince Nicastro Nominated
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards November 14, 2021 Best Music Documentary Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry Nominated [17]
Seattle Film Critics Society January 17, 2022 Best Documentary Feature Nominated [18]
Cinema Eye Honors March 1, 2022 Audience Choice Prize Nominated [19]
American Cinema Editors Awards March 5, 2022 Best Edited Documentary – (Non-Theatrical) Greg Finton, Lindsay Utz Nominated [20]
Golden Reel Awards March 13, 2022 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary Richard Yawn, Michael Brake, Rob Getty, Steven Avila, Shawn Kennelly, Melissa Kennelly, Vince Nicastro Nominated [21]
Cinema Audio Society Awards March 19, 2022 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Non Fiction, Variety or Music – Series or Specials Jae Kim, Elmo Ponsdomenech, Jason "Frenchie" Gaya, Aron Forbes, Jeffrey Roy, Shawn Kennelly Nominated [22]

References

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  1. ^ Strauss, Matthew (September 28, 2020). "Billie Eilish Announces New Documentary The World's a Little Blurry". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  2. ^ Gregory, Allie (September 28, 2020). "Billie Eilish Announces 'The World's a Little Blurry' Documentary". Exclaim!. ISSN 1207-6600. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Mahale, Jenna (December 6, 2019). "Here's everything you need to know about Billie Eilish's new documentary". i-D. ISSN 0894-5373. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  4. ^ Bossi, Andrea (September 28, 2020). "Discovering Billie Eilish: Apple's 2021 Documentary Digs Into Young Star And Mystery". Forbes. ISSN 0015-6914. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  5. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 2, 2020). "'Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry' Documentary Hitting Theaters & AppleTV+ This February". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Apple Original Films releases trailer and premiere date for "Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry"". Apple TV+ (Press release). December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Weir, Keziah (January 25, 2021). "The Charming Billie Eilish". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Masters, Kim (December 4, 2019). "Billie Eilish Lands Massive Payday for Apple TV+ Documentary". The Hollywood Reporter. ISSN 0018-3660. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  9. ^ Richards, Will (September 2, 2020). "'The World's A Little Blurry': Billie Eilish confirms upcoming documentary". NME. ISSN 0028-6362. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 5, 2019). "Billie Eilish Documentary In Apple Talks For Major Money; RJ Cutler Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Schiller, Rebecca (January 26, 2020). "Billie Eilish Promises Fans Will Learn 'Hella S--t' About Her in Her New Documentary". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  12. ^ Jones, Damian (January 20, 2020). "Billie Eilish confirms new album plans and documentary details". NME. ISSN 0028-6362. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  13. ^ Brisco, Elise (April 29, 2021). "Billie Eilish gets 'vulnerable' in new single and video 'Your Power' from follow-up album". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  14. ^ "Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  15. ^ "Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Billie Eilish Doc, Dave Chappelle's 8:46, and More Nominated for 2021 Emmys". Pitchfork. July 13, 2021. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  17. ^ "2021: 6th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards – Winners". Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  18. ^ ""The Power of the Dog" Leads the 2021 Seattle Film Critics Society Nominations". Seattle Film Critics. January 10, 2022. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  19. ^ Grobar, Matt (November 10, 2021). "'Flee' & 'Summer Of Soul' Lead Cinema Eye Honors Nominations". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  20. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (January 27, 2022). "'Belfast,' 'King Richard,' 'No Time to Die' Among ACE Eddie Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  21. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (January 24, 2022). "'Dune' Leads Nominations for Golden Reel Awards". Variety. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  22. ^ Pedersen, Erik (January 25, 2022). "Cinema Audio Society Nominations Set: 'Dune', 'Spider-Man', 'West Side Story' & More". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
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