What is the MxW Team Watching?
Simran Narwani, Digital Director @ Media x Women
Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry available on AppleTV
Whether you’re obsessed with Billie Eilish (hello British Vogue spread!), or have only heard one or two of her songs in passing, you’ll have found a soft spot for her after watching this film.
The documentary is an intimate, charming, and candid look inside the making of her debut album and her ultimate sweep of the 2020 Grammy awards.
You’re brought to the beginning of her career, seeing home video style clips of her singing “Ocean Eyes,” which put her on the map at just 13 years old. By the end of the film, you start to understand the exhilaration, sheer exhaustion, and even athleticism Billie endures to pursue her dreams. Throughout the journey, the aspiration and ambition she has is clear, but what’s fascinating is how you sense she truly doesn't know how big of a star she’ll become, and almost self consciously, she doesn’t know why fans will and do love her.
There are cool anecdotal moments along the way, like behind the scenes footage of how they made the black tear-like liquid drip from her eyes in the When The Party’s Over music video, or the first time she met Justin Bieber (and totally had a fangirl moment!), and a surprising, yet honest moment she had lamenting, “I HATE songwriting…,” but the most endearing moments are the scenes involving her family.
The film shows how much of a group effort it’s been in the making of “Billie Eilish,” the star, but not in a way that takes any credit from her. You view how her parents and brother nurtured and believed in her, but also influenced her aptitude for music. You witness the pure genius of her brother, producer, and co-writer, Finneas. While watching the two work, it’s easy to forget you’re watching Grammy award winners and not just a brother and sister working together on something they both love. That's the heart of the film--as cheesy as it sounds. It's the love behind the music, the love she has for performing, the love she has for her fans.
Billie Eilish was born to be Billie Eilish, that’s for sure, and you might be a Bad Guy if you don’t walk away loving her after watching this documentary.
-Carly J. Bauer, Strategic Partnerships Director
Anne with an E available on Netflix
Anne with an E is like a breath of fresh air. It not only embodies important life lessons such as friendship is sacred, imagination is really important, everybody is beautiful the way they are, and women should be treated equally to men. It was a show that I always had on my watch list, and that I was finally able to watch recently.
This show is an adaptation of the classic book Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The story is about a young orphan girl who is searching for her place in the world. She has been through multiple orphanages and homes but eventually is sent to Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert’s home. The Cuthberts are two siblings that live on Prince Edward Island and were hoping to adopt a boy to help around the farm, but Anne arrives instead. She later transforms the lives of not only the Cuthbert’s siblings, but everybody else in their close-minded town.
I found myself feeling overjoyed at the end of every episode and eager for the next one. I was amazed by all the great life lessons and how a show can make you feel so grateful. The characters are all very well developed, played, and written. If you are looking for a heartwarming and easy-going story, Anne with an E will not disappoint you. Anne embodies a lot of society’s insecurities and is eager to fight for acceptance, love and for what is right. This show not only showcases values of friendship, self-worth and equality but also talks about passion, loyalty, intelligence, stubbornness and love. I guarantee that this show will inspire you.
-Isabella Brascetta, Digital Director