Australian filmmaker Jessica Leski's debut feature documentary tells the stories of four women whose love of boybands changed their lives forever.
"Melbourne filmmakers Jessica Leski and Rita Walsh interviewed three generations of fangirls. The women are not, as you might expect, hysterical and hormonal teenagers. They are obsessive, sure, but also insightful and vulnerable. Their ages reflect the bands they adore: the oldest of the quartet being a fan of the Fab Four. The youngest, Elif, lives at home with parents who fail to appreciate her One Direction devotion. Sydneysider and Take That fangirl Dara can’t understand her own obsession with heartthrob Gary Barlow. Loving a boyband has helped the women through difficult times, and shaped their relationships, faiths and sexuality. Ultimately though, they’ve all found joy in the fandom world." (Sydney Film Festival)
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95%20 reviews
What to make of a film like I Used to be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story? A documentary that doesn’t appear to want to make fun of its subjects and yet is made in such a way that laughter from the audience is all but inevitable.
Full review
It becomes gently clear that for each woman, boy-band love has been painful and sustaining. No one else understands the purity of it, the acute longing or the singularity each girl feels.
Full review
The women each watch their favourite music video and narrate their highlights, offering a particularly open and sincere look at lifelong obsessions - and giving the feature the earnest touch that serves it so well.
Full review
Entertaining and insightful, this is a must-see for anyone with an interest in celebrity and the subtle (and not so subtle) workings of fandom.
Full reviewI Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story is available to stream in Australia now on Google Play and DocPlay and Apple TV and Ritz at Home and Prime Video Store.
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