Selena Gomez scored a critical hit after the AFI Fest premiere of her new documentary My Mind & Me.
The documentary, which includes Selena’s shocking revelation that she had been contemplating suicide for several years, currently has an impressive 100 percent re-rating from critics polled by Rotten Tomatoes.
Reviewers of the film, which premieres Friday on Apple TV+, praised the candid way Selena, 30, has been dealing with her mental health struggles in recent years.
Reviews are here! The documentary My Mind & Me, starring Selena Gomez, has been a hit with critics so far, earning a perfect 100 percent re-rating on Rotten Tomatoes after its premiere on Wednesday; Gomez was seen at the AFI Fest in Hollywood on Wednesday
In a review for The New York Times, Chris Azzopardi says the documentary lacks the feel of a “promotional tool,” while praising it as “sincere and soulless.”
He singles out director Alek Keshishian, who previously helmed Madonna’s documentary Truth or Dare, for being willing to focus on the more difficult aspects of his subject’s rise to fame.
Azzopardi also points to a scene in the film where Selena returns to Texas to see some of her old friends, which seems to give her a sense of “real connection,” unlike the countless journalists she met during interviews comes into contact.
Going deep: In a review for The New York Times, Chris Azzopardi says the documentary lacks the feel of a “promotional tool,” while praising it as “sincere and soulless.”
Badass: He singles out director Alek Keshishian, who previously helmed Madonna’s documentary Truth or Dare, for being willing to focus on the more difficult aspects of his subject’s rise to fame
For “Variety,” Chris Willman praises Gomez’s unbeatable charisma, writing that she is “as endearing as her personality in music, television, movies and philanthropic endeavors has made her imagined.”
He particularly likes that the documentary didn’t try to squeeze in a triumphant solution to the Spring Breakers star’s struggles with bipolar disorder in the third act.
“It’s not going to have a grim ending either, but the fact that the filmmakers can’t find a way to end on a rally of cheer sets this film apart from the wave of documents where minor quandaries of conscience or even catching a cold are easily resolved.” Plot points leading up to a grand finale show at the stadium,” he writes.
Gomez isn’t listed as the film’s producer, which may have made it easier for the director to avoid an uplifting ending.
The film begins abruptly with Gomez’s 2016 revival tour derailed when she suffered a “psychotic breakdown” and is weighed down by thoughts of self-harm.
However, Willman notes that the entertainer’s past relationship with fellow singer Justin Bieber hardly features in My Mind & Me, making it difficult to know if the failed romance played a role in her mental struggles.
Also largely absent from the film is discussion of her time as a Disney Channel star or her recent success in the critically acclaimed Hulu comedy Only Murders In The Building, which stars Steve Martin and Martin Short.
Commitment: For Variety, Chris Willman gives Gomez’s unbeatable charisma a thumbs-up, writing that she’s as “lovable as you imagined her persona to be in music, television, movies and philanthropic endeavors.”
Refreshingly: “It’s not headed towards a somber ending either, but the fact that the filmmakers don’t fabricate a way to end on a cheer rally sets this film apart from the wave of documents detailing minor quandaries of conscience or even catching a cold there are easily resolved plot points en route to a grand stadium closure show,” he writes
Hollywood Reporter critic Lovia Gyarkye writes that My Mind & Me serves as a companion to her 2020 album Rare, which was a critical hit and topped the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Gyarkye writes about how Keshishian highlights Gomez’s exhaustion with scenes of her sitting through routine interviews that never get below the surface of her life.
The reviewer notes that the director again alternates between black and white and color images, similar to his style in his Madonna documentary, creating a more intriguing visual presentation.
However, she notes that Gomez is still wary about aspects of her life, leaving her acting career largely untouched in favor of her singing career.
Striking: The Hollywood Reporter’s critic Lovia Gyarkye noted how the film alternates between black-and-white and color cinematography
Mixed Positives: Adrian Horton’s three-out-of-five-star review for The Guardian calls Gomez a “hugely likeable and endearing character,” while complaining that some footage of her “twitches.”
Adrian Horton’s three-out-of-five-star review for The Guardian called Gomez a “hugely likable and endearing character.”
The critic points out, however, that the film, as gritty as it may appear, still leaves out large parts of Gomez’s personal and professional life.
Horton seems to appreciate Gomez’s narration more than some of the sequences in which she interacts with others.
“The split feels strongest during a mid-chapter in Kenya, where Gomez attends a school she has supported through the now controversial We Charity,” she writes. ‘Gomez cares, clearly; the imagery – a central point of the film – is still chilling.”
But the documentary is also “strongest” and “boldest” at moments when it shows Gomez’s flaws, such as when she “reacts poorly to genuine concern.”
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me is available to stream on Apple TV+ starting Friday.
Coming Soon: Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me is available to stream on Apple TV+ starting Friday