JAKARTA - Singer Shawn Mendes has just released a documentary film entitled Shawn Mendes: In Wonder on November 23 via streaming service Netflix. This documentary connects Mendes to the release of his new album, Wonder.
A career in the music industry for seven years made Shawn Mendes feel confident by making documentaries to summarize his journey. Grant Singer was appointed to direct this film and made it his full film debut after being recognized as a music video director.
Shawn Mendes: In Wonder tells the journey of a Shawn Mendes from a boy from Toronto to becoming the musician he is known for today.
Losing the Narrative StorySince the beginning of the film, Shawn Mendes: In Wonder has lost its narrative in telling stories from both Mendes and those around him. Shawn Mendes tries to show his life before becoming a singer. Likewise with the transition period he went through when he became a singer and received great attention.
Some scenes also look contrived, such as when Shawn Mendes visited his house and ran in a park and imagined if he lived in an ordinary city.
Not to mention his love affair with singer Camila Cabello, which took part of the In Wonder storyline. The two of them were seen making out and practicing their voices before performing the song Senorita, their collaboration song that was nominated for the 2019 Grammy award.
Minimal ProblemsFind someone who talks about you the way Shawn Mendes talks about Camila Cabello (📽️: Shawn Mendes: In Wonder) pic.twitter.com/V0I4cpNDFg
- Netflix (@netflix) November 19, 2020
There are no sides of conflict or problems in this documentary. It seems too perfect for a human journey, let alone a great musician like Shawn Mendes.
If we compare it to the documentaries of other musicians, of course there are always obstacles, obstacles or problems that will more or less change their careers.
Taylor Swift, for example. In the Miss Americana documentary released on the same platform, she has to fight a long controversy against Kanye West and Kim Kardashian after allegedly manipulating a phone call with West.
Or Lady Gaga in the documentary Five Foot Two where she has to face family problems and create controversy while starting her career. BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky also presents problems with group members when going through the training period.
However, the problems in In Wonder were limited to Mendes feeling homesick, lacking confidence, to the fact that the audience who was presented with Mendes' voice did not come out in Mexico so that Mendes had to cancel one concert of the 100 concert tours he was on.
It doesn't mean to denigrate a work, is it true that the toughest obstacle in Mendes' life is just this series of small problems?
"If I tell the world that I am an ordinary person, will they stop coming to concerts and listening to music?" the narrative that revolved around the time the concert was canceled was also considered excessive.
Shawn Mendes and Music"I'm just a guy who likes music," said Mendes at the beginning of the film In Wonder. However, there is no scene that makes ordinary viewers believe that Mendes really loves the music process other than playing guitar throughout the film.
In Wonder also did not show a single full appearance of Shawn Mendes performing his songs. Instead, he performed Coldplay or John Mayer songs. Is he not confident enough in his musical material?
The creative process for making a new song or album is presented in the last few minutes of the film In Wonder. In this scene, Mendes is also seen having a long discussion about his songs, but the producers only agree with Mendes' every word.
Shawn Mendes: In Wonder lost his focus on the main subject, Shawn Mendes. Hoping that his film or album can show a humanist side, it turns out that Mendes only provides basic information that can be found on the internet.
How is a Documentary Good?A documentary film is a visual work that has a vision to know the subject more deeply. The subject of the story is a great force that will move the hearts of fans and viewers.
Launching DocumentaryTube, the director who makes documentaries must be open to providing various sides of the story. Even if there was something bad in In Wonder, it seems that only director Grant Singer knew about it.
Jesse Moss, documentary director said, a good documentary is a film that shows a meaningful journey. "Finding a subject that is a performer is very helpful but the main point is to put motivation and measure the distance between the person in front of the public and privacy," he said as quoted from the Tribeca Film Festival website.
“Of course charisma in front of the screen is important, but it is difficult to define or measure things. If you can't find it - you can't make a documentary. "
Unfortunately, Shawn Mendes: In Wonder is missing an element that should be an interesting point in the film which is about music in the personal life of a Shawn Mendes. Perhaps the message Mendes wants to give for this film is that one has to live life the way he wants.
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