I Used To Be Normal – A BoyBand Fangirl Story, directed by Jessica Leski, is a documentary for anyone who has been a Fan Girl at some point in her life or knows someone who is on that path. This story evolves around at least three hardcore fan girls and one, more reflective, Beatles fan. Of course you might just be interested in the subject and enjoy the story.
I Used To Be Normal – A Boy Band FanGirl Story both informs and entertains giving insight into a phenomenon that has been around for a very long time. Female followers have been there for “heart throbs” singers like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and many others before “Boy Band” groups emerged. In a casual way, I Used to Be Normal explores question of why someone might be a fan girl, by focusing on the lives of four women, of different ages, living in a western cultural context. They share in being die-hard fans of what the documentary classifies as Boy Band musical groups. To director Jessica Leski credit the film does allow some insight into the subject of Boy Bands and Fan Girls. As a documentary, I Used To Be Normal might fall into a social, women’s studies or even Salvage Anthropological category.
Elif is a young woman of sixteen from Long Island, New York. She is a passionate fan of a Boy Band Group called “One Direction.” Her Turkish Immigrant parents do not support her fandom or her life choices. There is Dara, from Sydney, Australia who at thirty-three has a second “coming out,” regarding her Boy Band obsession, with her female partner. In particular her obsession with Gary Barlow from the “Take That” band boy group. In the film she realizes she wants to be Gary Barlow. Twenty-five year old Sadia, living in San Francisco, is a first generation Pakistani-American. As a teenager she formed a fan club for the Back Street Boys and has developed an ongoing emotional bond with the group. One of the most interesting women is Susan, sixty-four, from Melbourne, Australia who talks about her being a fan, over the years, of the Beatles. But her appreciation seems to be more than an adolescent preoccupation with boys. Susan adds an analytic, more mature voice to being a fan over time and an appreciation for the music.
Having lived through the Beatles, Rolling Stones and other male groups with large fan bases, that might have qualified as “boy bands,” I can attest that some groups were admired by all genders for their musical abilities. Not to say that there weren’t hysterical young girls screaming and fainting at Beatles concerts. The Rolling Stones may not have developed as large a “fan girl” following as the Beetles. But not many people would have described the “Stones,” as cute back then or now.
One of the things that Dana, the “Take That” fan, does in the documentary is break down what Boy Bands have become. This is an important scene in the film, especially for anyone not aware of how boy bands are manufactured. While, One Direction, Take That and The Back Street Boys fit her description, it may be stretching it a bit to include the Beatles in that category. At best they may have become the original model for Boy Band’s, as we know them today. Boy Bands are groups of young men that are brought together by a producer to meet certain criteria. The average band’s life span is about five years. The group is created for the specific purpose of appealing to young girls and women. Their musical abilities are secondary and in some cases non-existent. But three of the women in the documentary, at whatever age, aware or not, don’t seem to care. The Beatles came together as a group on their own.
While the four women in the film represent a certain segment of fans, they do not represent all women. We are left to wonder if they are the exception rather than the rule. Do most young girls outgrow the emotional attachment these women demonstrate? The documentary does not really go there. Susan, the Beatles fan, reminisces about the music and the lyrics she remembers. The Beatles wrote all their own songs.
The documentary uses interviews with all of the women along with some archival footage of groups performing, often with girls emotionally reacting. As one of the girls in the film says, this experience is one that is a “rite of passage,” something they need to get out in their teen years. While the interviews are good, their use in the documentary seems excessive. In some cases they go off into the personal lives of the girls and you have to wonder why? How does this help us understand more about “Boy Bands” and Fan Girls? One of the girls graduates from High School. Two of the four women take walks on the beach.
There are no experts on this subject interviewed or quoted in the documentary. We view this behavior strictly from the point-of-view of the characters who don’t seem to know why they behave this way either. Will they grow into middle age still going to boy band concerts? How representational are they of women in general? In many respects it is refreshing to be able to observe and form our own opinions.
Cinematography and editing of the documentary are well done. The pace of the editing is slowed by the interviews with Elif and Sadia. These interviews feel a bit self-indulgent. But perhaps the message is that their parents unwillingness to support them in their lives leads them to substitute the boy bands for emotional comfort.
I Used To Be Normal – A BoyBand FanGirl Story is a documentary worth watching from many standpoints. It sheds some light of the phenomenon through the life experiences of some real fan girls. The film is non judgmental, it simply tells their stories from the inside looking out. It may help others realize they are not alone in their Boy Band fandom.
Review by James R (Jim) Martin
TriCoast Entertainment will release the film onto digital platforms (Amazon, iTunes, DirecTV, AT&T, FlixFing, InDemand, Vudu, FANDANGO, Sling/Dish) on Sept. 17th, 2019.
Review by James R (Jim) Martin
