A Star Is Born: The Snake That Is Fame

Soulful, heartbreaking, and with a touch of mesmerizing music comes the reawakening of A Star Is Born, a classic screenplay dug out from beneath the Hollywood slush pile. This movie explores the darker corners of fame and how it impacts individuals in the spotlight. In a story that flourishes with awe and shock, aspiring singer Ally (Lady Gaga) loses and discovers herself in a struggle against a world where her inner talents are continuously challenged by the lure of fame. In front of an audience that has reached millions worldwide after the movie’s release, outspoken protagonist Ally shows viewers and fans a behind-the-scenes tape of Hollywood fame, and the real vulnerability and agony behind the seemingly flawless façade.

A Star Is Born contrasts the fixated smiles in front of paparazzi cameras with the difficult journey that is Ally’s path to stardom. When she steps onto the stage under the world’s watch, her voice travels across the unknown boundaries of social media, which takes her into the whirlwind life of touring performances, standing ovations, and people who make the ultimate impacts on her career.

Ally’s breakthrough song “Shallow” starring country music singer Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) captures the raw confusion of a newly discovered universe of fame, an unraveling step towards embracing something new. But with this seemingly impeccable universe comes conflict. Luckily for her, Jackson Maine recognizes Ally’s talent and urges her to hold on to it. As a celebrity who understands the highs and lows of being famous, Jackson Maine understood from early on that true artistry comes with holding on to the passion within, and that losing yourself would be easy if you did not focus on what is important. Despite Ally’s defiance for his help, he gave her a chance to sing at his concert, supported her in writing music, and above all things, respected her wishes when he knew she was falling into the shallow of fame. Although the final note of their relationship ends rather painfully, Ally performs a heartfelt tribute to Maine with “I’ll Never Love Again,” using her fame and turning it into an audience where she could express her emotions through the universal language of music.

Fame can be disruptive to the human mind, even catastrophic. An avalanche of both love and criticism can never be swallowed whole, which is why most celebrities today have a hard time coping with it. While I believe fame is a tool to reach wider audiences and share important messages to the world, I also believe that fame contains a negative effect. From the perspective of a fan or someone constantly involved with Hollywood gossip, it is often easy to become “obsessed” with a certain admired celebrity. But looking at this situation from a celebrity’s point of view, although being noticed is important for their career, most would want fans to respect their privacy and treat them as a normal person. A lot of celebrities today face depression and anxiety, partially because of the immense impact that lack of privacy and abundance of false rumors have on their mental state. As  producer and director, Bradley Cooper incorporates a clever insight on an ignored fact in “A Star Is Born”—the fact that celebrities are also human beings. I think that it is important for us as viewers and fans to understand the cruelty of fame and the toll it takes on celebrities.

“A Star Is Born” begs for audiences to understand that celebrities are facing their own difficulties, shining light on their humanity in exchange for the idol-like perspective.