This grubby thorn is what stops the documentary from being superb. By suiting up under the title “Miss Americana”, what does Swift have to say about America? Nothing much. The most interesting commentary on Taylor Swift that can be found online is not actually about the star herself but instead uses her as a springboard onto other cultural issues, like how the media takes advantage of women and benefits from their downfall. And if it needed to begin with Swift as its subject, then it was needless to continue it as such. A better documentary would have made this documentary about something more than Taylor Swift’s personal life. It is more a delineation of the last decade of her life than a deep dive into the music industry or even the “cult of Taylor Swift”.
#ISWIFT DEFENCE SERIES#
The film is a long series of short clips that could each be seen in isolation, segmented with little thematic cohesion. Without singling out any one demographic, millions of people around the world are zealously devoted to a country singer from Tennessee. That said, any casual observer of pop culture can see there is a cult of Taylor Swift. I respect the musician but am less interested in the personality behind the music.
And after 13 years of listening to her music, there is a level of investment that has accumulated in me for the artist. I think that, even if her work isn’t touching or exceptionally deep, it is something lively and spectral, something luxuriously dramatic and emotional. I understand the nuances, all of the references that she scatters through her work and social media promotions. I would go as far to say that I am a Taylor Swift connoisseur.