I want to preface that I was not interested in the subject matter of this documentary. I was resistant to watch, but that soon changed. I have seen music documentaries where the artist talks about the pain of fame including the long hours, that in all actuality, does not live up to the excitement people assume it to be. This documentary had an added feature-culture, cross-culture for that matter. The members of the group, all Korean, yet with such a diverse upbringing, share their extensive training in dancing and singing. The demands from their instructors bled onto the demands they put on themselves. Many times in the film, I wished it started from the end and worked itself backwards. I say this because of the inspirational words that were shared from the members and even their producer. I connected with their thoughts, and I can see students doing the same. As I continue to celebrate different cultures in my curriculum in order that we recognize commonality and grow as a people who find value in our differences, I think sharing this film with students will see that yes, things can be very different in other cultures, but can also be very much the same. Knowing this makes us more understanding individuals. With music being an instant gateway to engagement, this documentary highlights the power of music. The energy in music unites us all. With music like K-pop becoming international and mainstreamed and hitting such a young audience that Blackpink does, more and more we are finding a oneness with each other, rather than the differences that have led to discrimination. Music is one part of culture that is connecting us, and this documentary enlightens us on that unity. I feel students will first find a connection to the music, but then, they will find a connection with the situations and challenges these artists face together and individually.
Hello Serece, I think it is intriguing how you decided to watch this documentary without any prerequisite knowledge or interest in the group Blackpink, but rather because you seem to have a background in watching many other documentaries about musicians/performers. I am coming from the opposite perspective in that I watched <Blackpink: Light Up The Sky> specifically because I am a fan. I get the sense that the most famous K-pop boy group in the West is BTS, and the most famous girl group is Blackpink. I think that a good percentage of our students in the US are also familiar with them, so this documentary may be of specific interest to them.
I wanted to clarify that out of the four group members, three are ethnically Korean and one is Thai (born and raised in Thailand until age 14 when she was chosen to become a K-pop trainee). The story of the Thai member, Lisa, who ultimately overcame the language barrier and gained the respect and admiration of others, resonated with me because I have also experienced being a newly arrived foreigner who could not speak the language. Many of our students may also have memories of immigrating to the US, so this experience of otherness could speak to them as well.