Billie Unblurred: Review of Billie Eilish’s documentary “The World’s a Little Blurry”

As someone who’s followed Billie Eilish since her 2016 single “Six Feet Under” came out, my adoration for her was reignited with her documentary “The World’s a Little Blurry,” directed by R.J. Cutler available on Apple TV+.

The film follows the young star from the beginning of her rise to fame, starting in 2018 and going up to when Eilish swept five categories in the 2020 Grammys. The viewer gets to see the young, depressed teenager turn into the lively and flourishing person that she is now, and how she copes with not only the stresses of fame, but simply being a teenager as well. Reliving her journey to fame only deepened my love and respect for Eilish and her everyday lifestyle.

The title, “The World’s a Little Blurry,” captures the crucial time period Eilish experiences as a teenager who tried to figure out life when nothing was clear.

My theory regarding the title is that the lyric “the world’s a little blurry” — taken from Eilish’s song “ilomilo” — is due to the subject matter of the song. It describes loving someone that you want to protect at all costs, but you can’t anymore. 

As I found out in the documentary, Eilish had a secret relationship with a rapper named 7: AMP, or “Q” as she refers to him. Learning of the nature of their relationship, I can guess that “ilomilo” is about Q. Q’s role in the film is very significant, revealing that he was a key part of Eilish’s life, as he appears in almost every scene in the first half of the film. This new insight on her life gave the documentary the intrigue that it needed, and Q was incorporated into the main storyline exceptionally. Every scene subtly hinted towards Q in a very indirect way, weaving him into the storyline without the audience realizing it.

Eilish’s freedom is a focus point that shows up periodically as well, like when she learned to drive and eventually got her license. In a scene that shows her driving on her own for the first time, I got to hear a speech from her father Patrick O’Connell as she pulls out of the driveway of her small Los Angeles home. This scene was beautiful — O’Connell talked about learning to let go and letting his kid have her freedom, even if it was difficult and intimidating. The two perspectives of this moment added depth to the documentary.

Following Eilish on her emotional journey, you get to see the personal moments between her and those closest to her. Watching her gush over Orlando Bloom after meeting him at Coachella gave me a sense of what a friendship between myself and Eilish would look like as I got to see her in moments where she doen’t feel like a celebrity. Being that connected with someone through a screen is amazing, which I credit to the unique and rhythmic storytelling of the documentary. The scenes flowed into one another flawlessly, but none of them were directly connected in any way besides the chronological order it was filmed in.

I greatly appreciate the transparency of the film — I saw her say she wants to jump off of a bridge at 16, then just a few years later, she wins five Grammys and is the happiest she’s ever been. It’s crazy to me that Eilish has come from such a low place that you wouldn’t think that she’s the same person. This documentary captured that perfectly.

One of the most moving parts was a bit into the second half, when she is about to perform for her New York City show — arguably one of the most memorable concerts she’s ever had because of her performance of  “i love you.” She gets choked up on the lines because she had just broken up with Q.

While many had already seen this concert clip online, the layers behind it through the explanation of her breakup in the documentary brought new meaning to the heartbreaking scene.

This movie brought a whole new level of connection aside from her music, and made me proud of Eilish, even just as a fan on the outside. I admit, for the last half of the movie, I was sobbing my eyes out practically the whole time due to the immense growth she made in those years. I saw moments that I remember were captured and put on social media, but what was really happening was never known until this documentary came out. 

I find that this documentary is very different from others of its kind. It follows a teen girl thrown into the spotlight. The subject matter is direct and straight to the point, and the scenes that they selected make you feel like you’re right there with her, not just watching a premade movie. Nothing about it’s flashy, everything is very authentic and almost has a homemade feel to it.

Not only capturing this beautiful piece of art, but making it public for the whole world to see and judge was a courageous move. Even Eilish said herself in the live preview of the documentary that she didn’t want most of the scenes shown in the final cut of the film to be released for the whole world to see. She had to overcome her fears and be vulnerable, and I’m so glad that she did, because this is by far one of my favorite movies. Even if you aren’t a die-hard fan, this documentary is absolutely worth watching.