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Every band doc or pop star tour diary claims to show fans the real version of their idol. We get backstage access and never-before-seen interviews maybe even a teary late-night DMC but what films like Jonas Brothers: Chasing Happiness or Taylor Swifts Miss Americana really display is a carefully curated image, sanitised of scandal and shot through a commercial lens. In The Worlds A Little Blurry, Billie Eilish gives an alternative to the at-arms-length music movie taking us deep inside her teenage (and often troubled) brain.

Filmed over the course of three years, director R.J. Cutlers intimate offering is a real-life coming-of-age story, complete with family arguments, birthday parties and adolescent breakups. Cutler has form here: his Emmy-winning American High series tracked the experiences of 14 millennial students at a school in Illinois. And while the hyper-anxious, always-online Gen Z mindset differs greatly, Cutlers new documentary takes a similarly linear and open approach.

Eilish getting ready to go on tour. CREDIT: Apple TV+

We start at Eilishs parents house in Highland Park, Los Angeles, where most of the first half of the movie takes place. Its 2018 and 16-year-old Eilish is busy writing songs in her brother Finneas bedroom. They laugh, bicker and hug as the tunes come together their parents supplying advice from across the house or while stood in the doorway. Later, grown-men record execs and hangers on cram (comically, it has to be said) into corners while the siblings play snippets of tracks from Finneas computer. As Eilishs debut album coalesces and she gets deeper in bed with the label more and more people want input on the music, and you sense her frustration.

The film then jumps into a whirlwind montage of live shows, interviews and hotel room recording sessions. As Billies fame and popularity grow, her isolation increases not from family members (whose support never wanes) but friends, who appear infrequently, and boyfriend Q aka rapper 7: AMP. This is partly because shes always away on tour, but Qs behaviour also comes into question. During one flashpoint scene, Eilish has just come off stage at Coachella and is upset with her performance. Q, raving it up elsewhere on site, fails to show up backstage and Billie is left to commiserate on her own. They split up soon after.

With dad Patrick, learning how to wash her new car. CREDIT: Apple TV+

These emotional difficulties are compounded by Billies ongoing injuries (shin splints, a recurring hip injury) which require constant medical attention and even affect her electric performances. By the second half of the film, its clear the hectic schedule is getting a bit much but turning to other celebs (Katy Perry at Coachella, Justin Bieber via Instagram and a post-Grammys FaceTime) affords Eilish some much-needed understanding from those whove been through the same meteoric rise.

Eventually, Billie reaches a better place and learns to cope more easily with life as the most talked-about teen on the planet. However, many will question the wisdom of allowing a clearly-struggling teenager to be followed around 24/7 by a film crew. On the other hand, Eilishs willingness to talk about subjects like mental health and her own Tourettes syndrome may prove invaluable to young fans.

Despite a hefty chunk being dedicated to Billies personal life, the films best moments focus on music. Its fascinating to watch the genesis of mega-hits like Bad Guy crafted from the leftovers of an early track or listen in as Billie blocks the When The Partys Over video in her back garden, her mum standing in as a model. These little clips serve as a reward for Billies supporters, visual Easter eggs they can grin at while thinking: I know what that becomes!

And thats who will get most out of Billie Eilish: The Worlds A Little Blurry: the fans. I dont think of them as fans ever, says the neon-haired pop star in the movies opening few minutes. Theyre part of me. Giving them access to her intimate thoughts and feelings both lyrically and now through this documentary is why they love her so much. Other artists prepping for their own films should take note.

More:
Billie Eilish: The Worlds A Little Blurry review: inside the mind of pops teen pioneer - NME.com