One Potato Productions, Tremolo Productions, Netflix
The Netflix has been delivering the docu goods. Here’s a few to check out:
Inside Bill’s Brain
The four episode docu-series, Inside Bill’s Brain, answers many questions, among them–what does a billionaire do with all his money? How can he make the biggest impact on the world with the financial and intellectual gifts he’s been given? The answers may surprise you, but it’s a totally compelling watch. Join Bill from his upbringing as he’s groomed by his mother who challenges his intellect to match how he interacts with people and the world around him, through his rise with Microsoft, his relationship with Melinda, and how all these factors come together to frame his next and most impactful chapter yet. The series may have us all reconsider are we all using our time and gifts we’ve been given, we all might need a Think Week to evaluate.
Miss Americana
Next up is Miss Americana, the Taylor Swift documentary. I expected to enjoy this documentary because, if you’ve read this blog, you know I’m Team Tay Tay, but I didn’t expect it to be so powerful and strangely, relatable.
After two decades in the spotlight, living for the approval of strangers, Taylor recounts how quickly that belief system can crumble. Her whole life was centered around being a good person, being likeable, not getting into trouble, and not speaking up. She struggled with feeling not good enough, not belonging, not worth accolades or success, meeting standards of beauty, facing body issues, eating disorders, online bullying, sexual assault (7 witnesses and a photo, and she was still questioned), sexism, and ageism (‘the female artists I know of have reinvented themselves 20x more than the male artists, they have to or else they’re out of a job’).
The documentary is a deconstruction her belief system–tuning out the noise, gaining her voice and finding happiness without anyone else’s input. I wrote down nearly every word she had to say for the last fifteen minutes of the doc – powerful. All this and an inside peek into her creative process. Incredibly impressive, well worth the watch, and well worth all the accolades.
Cheer
Last up is America’s Sweethearts, the Navarro Cheer squad from the six-part docu-series Cheer. They’ve been on Ellen, and on the red carpet at the Oscars, they’re at every roundoff-back hand-springed turn.
The series joins the team on their quest for their 14th National Championship title since 2000. Led by coach Monica Aldama, the team is as dedicated to her as they are to the sport. For the past 25 years she’s created elite squads, coaching kids for success on and off the mat, “I feel like it’s God’s purpose for me and that’s why I haven’t left the job yet.”
Battling stereotypes of cheerleading and female coaches, Monica has an unwavering drive to succeed, to watch her kids succeed, and to keep coming back season after season. Her mantra is to “keep going until you get it right, and then keep going until you can’t get it wrong.” She can’t stop because someone is always on her tail ready to take the title. In return for their hard work, she gives the kids structure, accountability, and expectations to meet.
The series is about more than the journey to complete a two minute and fifteen second routine in Daytona Beach, Florida. It’s about not holding back, going full out–the importance of drive, and the importance of trust. May we all face every challenge like there’s an ocean crashing in the background, taunting us towards victory. We can. We will. We must.