IR Film Review: BILLIE EILISH - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT - THE TOUR - LIVE IN 3D [Paramount]
Billie Eilish does have a style and approach and, like most artists, she will evolve as she grows older. But the singing style she and her brother Finneas created in their teens has a classical ring that feels at times more like jazz than pop. Director James Cameron somehow found an interesting muse in Eilish and knows enough using his 3D cameras to find a way to capture a concert like you are there and do it in one night. It is challenge for sure and something he has no done before in this exact way. Even though know I know some of Elish’s songs they are not necessarily the ones she plays in concert. Despite her public approach and/or persona, she does like to be the center of attention and understands how that can translate into a concert experience via lighting and layout. The set here works well and the sound definitely captures the action. Cameron can only shoot a concert via 3D though in so many ways but he does use some long lenses at time that make it feel more theatrical. The use of a POV camera that can work with this 3D system is also much more advanced. However when Eilish is running with a remote one she is not thinking about framing as much though...and it is only when she turns the camera towards herself Cameron knows to cut to her. The interesting aspect is likely the editing process since Cameron probably did not cut it live but was obviously watching all the feeds from the control room trying to make the different songs have different perspectives though one or two look the same. He keeps the backstage elements to a minimum though it is tricky to know where the BTS elements fell in the shooting process (though with certain ones he gives the number of hours before show). Cameron is obviously in the film because it is about the collaboration itself and in his doc spaces he tends to put himself in the mix as an experiential person. He wants you to see him operating the camera.
The whole idea here also is that this is Elish's first tour without Finnsas on tour. That said it seems Cameron took some BTS footage at the very start of the tour but the actual concert filmed is the last one of the tour in Manchester England. This of course has a different connotation as well. Eilsh has the basic approach for her to play instruments (like guitar and piano) but her voice is of course her primary instrument. In the film once in a while she belts so you can see the power of her voice ("The Greatest" stands out specificallt). But it is a balance because her recorded music is one thing (it is more low key and moody) but she wants to create energy on stage as well running around like a rock star (think Axl Rose running around the stage). She is a completely different animal than Charlie xcx but she is also a two time Oscar winner. The crux point the movie examines is also (as indicated) the separation between Billie and Finneas. He wants to establish himself beyond Billie (I believe I heard perhaps in film scores) but she is also his collaborator and sister. Of course there is an ode to that but also an essence of independence. It is a hard balance to strike but it is Eilish's face and she is the performer. Whether or not this is a snapshot of a specific time is to be seen.
Eilish's dressing style from the inset is also a choice and an approach. I saw her up close when she and Finneas hung at our table for a hot minute at the pre-reception for the Critics Choice Awards where Eilish and Finneas won for Barbie. Jon Hamm and Joseph Quinn were also there having a drink. Depending on her hair (at that point) her jawline was very chiseled but she adapts to the situation. The clothes also her to transform back and forth and she does discuss that in the one sitdown Cameron does with her. Of course in this concert specifically it is directly about the fans who identify with her and her lyrics. Cameron and Eilish capture a moment in time and the Essence of the concert experience without diluting it too much while showing enough behind the scenes and POV (her inside a cube that hangs over the audience at the top of the show stands out). But then at other times she lays on her back on the platform or the ground and just sings while the cameras capture her like she was in her living room. What is also interesting is that some of the concert cameras are the same ones doing 3D so it would be interesting to know if they did a dry run on a previous concert to see how it looked. All that said, it is a good snapshot of a concert where you feel like you are there without losing yourself too much in the backstage minutae but just enough to give a good sense of identity while understanding that the concert experience and the people seeing it are the thing. B+
By Tim Wassberg
