Gaga: Five Foot Two

A documentary that follows a year in a singer's life. The camera starts in the studio. Lady Gaga is recording a new album; the tracks are made in a room, played live and with few people. Another preparation is going on at the same time: she will perform at one of the most watched television broadcasts of the year, and rehearsals begin months in advance. What sets the documentary apart is the side of health. She suffers widespread pain; the camera goes into hospital rooms, injections and attacks of pain. In one scene she is not in a condition to go to a rehearsal. There are family sections too: a conversation with her grandmother, the room of an aunt who died and her father's restaurant. The everyday form of fame is constantly visible: cameras everywhere, advisers always present, large teams and decisions made fast. The narrative builds no story of success and is not an account of crisis either; it records how the days pass. Chris Moukarbel directed. It was released on a streaming service. A direct source for anyone interested in music documentary and what happens behind the stage. For a viewer expecting performance, the film gives more room to preparation and hospitals than to concerts.