By Jan Brito ’23
Selena Gomez recently came out with her documentary My Mind and Me on Apple TV Plus. This documentary was supposed to be about her Revival Tour, but as Gomez kept going through difficult situations in between her shows, she decided to make the film about her mental health.
I’ve enjoyed watching and listening to Selena Gomez since I was little and she has taught me many things over the years. This documentary was no different. It taught me the importance of mental health and helped me realize we are all valuable. Along with being educational, the film was very entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it as a whole. I’ve seen many reviews of this documentary on Tik Tok focusing on Gomez’s struggles and philanthropic actions. A common emotion most people felt while watching the film was empathy and sadness and most people admitted to shedding tears.
For a long time, many people, including myself, thought she lived an amazing life, but through this documentary, Gomez opened up about her diagnosis of Lupus in 2014. Since this diagnosis, she has been open about her journey with this chronic disease. Selena has shown to be a very vulnerable and open person as she also made her Bipolar disorder diagnosis public. Gomez opens up in the documentary about all struggles she’s faced throughout her lifetime.
This film takes place over the course of 7 years. She started filming the documentary in 2016 with the intention of making a tour documentary, but as time passed and she faced struggles between her shows, she changed the direction of the documentary. It is an excellent watch for those struggling with mental health issues and feelings of unworthiness.
Gomez is by far one of the kindest celebrities I know. She showed kindness in her documentary when she visited people in Kenya with the intent of helping them. Her goal for this documentary was to show people that even celebrities go through mental health disorders and diseases. In the song Gomez released with the film, ”My Mind and Me,” she says, “If somebody sees me like this, then they won’t feel alone now.” This shows her good intentions in wanting to help people feel better about themselves.
The documentary takes place while on her revival tour, in her house, on her way to interviews, on her trip to Kenya, and in her hometown. One of my favorite scenes of the documentary was when she told her friends about how she felt like a product when she was interviewed. With these types of scenes, we got to see the feelings she has as a celebrity. A scene I wasn’t too interested in was when she visited people from her hometown. Even though the scenes where she visits her hometown weren’t as interesting as the rest of the film, it shows us what Gomez does to stay grounded. I think all the different scenery made the story more interesting to watch. I enjoyed watching the documentary because I love Selena Gomez and I’m very interested in her life and learning more about her, however, I recommend watching this film even if you aren’t the biggest Selena Gomez fan. This film is also perfect for those struggling with mental health issues and chronic diseases. Go and watch the film, I give it 10 outta 10 burritos!
The Raider Press 