Gaga: Five Foot Two is a documentary chronicling the release of pop star Lady Gaga’s fifth studio album, Joanne, culminating in the singer’s critically acclaimed performance of the Super Bowl LI halftime show. The documentary also tackles subjects such as Gaga’s family, specifically the early death of her aunt Joanne, for whom the album is named after, the singer’s struggles with chronic pain, and her overall experience with fame since her breakthrough in 2008. The conflict in the story centers around Gaga’s effort to break away from her larger-than-life persona and extravagant outfits that made her famous in her early career and create a more authentic image.

 

This documentary breaks the mold we’ve been following in class of the classic interview and B-roll and instead follows Lady Gaga’s life through one mobile cameraperson. This way, we are getting a more in-depth and personal look at Lady Gaga’s daily life. As someone who is very busy, as evident in the film, Lady Gaga is not available to sit and do hours of interviews. The filming of the movie reflects the nature of her lifestyle and it allows the audience to see a mostly unfiltered and authentic Lady Gaga as she navigates and balances her personal and professional lives.

 

This film blurs the line between a documentary and a feature film. While most of the footage of Lady Gaga in her apartment, in the studio, in a hospital, etc. are shot by one cameraperson there are also more cinematic shots. For example, as B-roll, we see establishing shots of her apartment or the room she’s in and we see very up close shots of her hands and her face. Some of the most cinematic shots occur whenever we see footage of the Super Bowl. We see shots of the game and the actual show from all angles. The film actually opens with a close-up shot of Lady Gaga’s signature Joanne-era cowboy boots slowly rising as the singer is being hoisted up to the ceiling. Even the shots that are filmed by the lone cameraperson feel less like a documentary and more like a feature film because the camera is able to move and observe from multiple angles and depths.

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However, the film still maintains the feeling of a documentary. Even though the shots aren’t steady and in place, we are still seeing real and authentic people. Because of how personal the subject matter is and how up-close we actually get to see Lady Gaga, the film is able to keep its realism and feel like a documentary.

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I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of Lady Gaga but also anyone who isn’t. Despite Gaga’s best efforts to break away from her over-the-top media image, that is still how most people view her. In this film, we see Lady Gaga as keenly aware of the fact that her image was manufactured. She explains in the film that she adopted this persona and covered herself with makeup and wigs because she didn’t view herself as pretty enough to present herself as she was.

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The film tries very hard to contrast her old image to where she is now. In one montage we see her and her extravagant outfits and wigs navigate the paparazzi to get to a limo in contrast to footage of her today with a white T-shirt and messy bun doing the same thing. In what is probably my favorite sequence, Lady Gaga is in a Walmart looking for her album and no one recognizes her. Once she tells someone she is Lady Gaga, we see a flood of people lining up to get a picture and an autograph. Even if you are not a fan of Lady Gaga herself or like her music, this film is worth watching because it provides a uniquely close-up and personal portrayal of what it’s like to live in the public eye.