directed by Kathryn Ferguson
The girl who was born too early… We’ve just lost Sinéad O’Connor, a very talented and extraordinary musician. If you didn’t know her when she was a young artist, perhaps you might not be her biggest fan for what she was doing in her last years. To be honest, I wasn’t following her that much because I wished to remember her for her music career and not her personal struggles. However, when I found out that she passed away, I decided to see this documentary, to perhaps understand the transition she went through. From the very beginning Sinéad was a rebel and definitely not afraid to do whatever she wanted. But her behaviour could have been justified since she wasn’t much supported by her parents. She even wrote a public letter saying “If only I can fight off the voices of my parents and gather a sense of self-esteem(…)”. Your background matters a lot, even if you succeed in the future, there’s always something deep inside that makes you suffer, and we could see that in Sinéad. Still, despite the difficulties and her unusual style, she became a true music icon and was appreciated by many musical specialists. She had this amazing vibe and people could experience the music together with her on a totally new level. At the beginning of this post I wrote that she was born too early – and I’m sure of it. If only she was in her 20s now, she would have been a leader of various minorities. Through her art she was trying to fight against patriarchy, racism and social inequalities, which nowadays would have been heard much better. Back then she was still a strange woman not following the rules that most people followed, so obviously it’s difficult for her to make a significant change. Still, she was making a lot of progress in her musical career until one day… And if you know her story, you know exactly what happened. But I’m not going to comment on that because that might be an interesting plot twist for those who are just learning about Sinéad. Did she do the right thing? I can’t say. I supported her views and the willingness to make a change in this world, but sometimes it’s important to think of the consequences. She wasn’t doing that. She was a very concrete, stubborn and brave woman who was screaming loud while experiencing maltreatment. I believe she could have become an activism icon once again if only someone had helped her, especially after her son’s death in 2022. I kind of feel like she’s a human reminder of how much we fail as humanity… There are so many negative posts about her, especially in the last years, but why didn’t we think of giving her a hand? Perhaps she just needed more attention, but not as a music star – just as Sinéad. She was diagnosed with so many disorders, yet even celebrities decided to publicly mock her. We definitely need to reflect on her case and take mental health much more seriously than we already do. Anyway, this documentary was obviously made when Sinéad was still alive and it focuses on her young self who was a true sunshine willing to connect with people through music and not wanting to support the evil in this world. And that’s the picture of her I want to remember. Rest in peace, Sinéad.
My rating: 8/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 