Story
Beyonce: Life Is But a Dream is an autobiographical movie, directed and produced by music star Beyonce Knowles.
The movie shows Beyonce in each of her dynamic roles: musician, actress, entrepreneur, wife and mother. It includes extensive footage from professional interviews together with Beyonce speaking directly to her webcam, where she shares intimate thoughts and feelings with viewers. She reflects on a range of issues including what it means to live in the public eye as a celebrity; the state of her relationship with her father and their eventual estrangement; her desire to be a mother and the loss she felt after a miscarriage; and her passion for her artistic craft.
The documentary also highlights the intense psychological and physical demands of her live performances, and the amount of preparation that goes into running the business that is Beyonce’s music career.
Themes
Violence
Content that may disturb children
Under 5
Nothing of concern
From 5-8
Nothing of concern
From 8-13
Nothing of concern
Over 13
Nothing of concern
Sexual references
There are some sexual references in this movie. During one live performance, Beyonce sings lyrics to the song ‘Make Love To Me’.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
None of concern
Nudity and sexual activity
None of concern
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
There is some moderate to strong coarse language in this movie.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Beyonce: Life Is But A Dream is an inspirational movie that shows how passion and determination can help you overcome obstacles in life. But because of its mature themes and coarse language, this movie is best suited to children over 13 years.
Beyonce’s reflections offer audiences many insights into what her experiences have taught her. In discussing her career, she offers advice to girls and women about needing to fight harder to get the gender equality they deserve. When reflecting on her miscarriage, she details how much pain she felt, but also explains she wouldn’t be the person she is without having experienced it.
The movie shows Beyonce as a strong-willed, successful woman who has lived through far more than most people during her 31 years. As a result, she has learned an incredible amount about life.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include the following:
- Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s better to be positive about life.
- Take time to reflect on life.
- Ask for help if you’re upset or scared. Don’t pretend that you’re fine when you’re not. Everyone needs to rely on other people to get through difficult times.
- A strong work ethic and personal drive is important to some people.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues such as:
- the difficulties that come with being a celebrity and the importance of recognising celebrities are human beings with feelings just like everyone else
- the issue of gender inequality and the impact it has on many areas of life
- the ability to know when relationships are destructive or not working, and what you can do in these situations.