Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry (2021)

This is kind of a refreshingly niave and yet ultimately knowing documentary, short listed for the Oscars this year. It’s almost impossible to predict when and where a new star will burst onto a scene. There are so many hopefuls vying for a spotlight, so much talent goes unnoticed. But documentarian R.J. Cutler lucked out when his cameras caught the astronomical ascent of electropop star Billie Eilish. He enters the picture just as Eilish is still creating music with her older brother in his room. Men from their record label stop by to hear what’s in the works, and they smile politely, unaware how big that small moment in the O’Connell’s home will become. We’re seeing a then-17-year-old Eilish change her style, come into her own and then to command control of her image, right down to directing her own music videos. We’re watching the birth of a star, an exhilarating and not infrequently excruciating experience.