After more than $575 million in gross sales and 2.7 million attendees, Beyoncé’s groundbreaking, five-month Renaissance World Tour wrapped up in October — but her new concert film proves there’s much more to see and hear.
Now running through a partnership with AMC Theatres, the self-directed and self-produced “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” is as much a work of art as the monolithic concert production itself. The documentary and concert film brings into detailed view the blood, sweat and tears that went into creating the pop star’s most enigmatic tour and, in the process, reveals even Queen Bey can sometimes grapple with the duties of wearing the crown 27 years into her career. Especially the responsibility that comes with continually fighting to be at the top of her game while trying to be present as a mother, wife, daughter and corporate CEO.
“Humans have become machines in the way in which we work,” Beyoncé reflects early on in the film, her first since 2019’s “Homecoming” was released on Netflix, “but I’m not a machine, I’m human.”
That internal battle comes full circle on the concert stage, the man-vs-machine theme ensconced in a neo-futuristic production as Beyoncé appears as a shackled android character in many scenes. The tour presented some of the biggest technology leaps for a concert this side of the new millennium.
And yes, while the full-color reels of some of the concerts’ grandest performances are a thrilling part of the “Renaissance” film experience, especially when interjected by quick-flash editing that shows all of the incredible fashion that rotated in and out, it’s the intimate behind-the-scenes interviews that are the most climactic.
Filmed in black-and-white by cinematographers Dax Blinn and Kenneth Wales, the nuanced technique is what sets Beyoncé’s film apart from Taylor Swift’s recently released “Eras Tour” concert film. (Not that there’s any competition; both stars attended each others’ red carpet premieres in a beautiful show of solidarity.)
Rather than just flaunt the final product, “Renaissance” carefully strips back the magnitude of it all, showing just how much dedication went into the design and execution of the four-years-in-the-making world tour — showing flaws and all, such as when the power and audio went out at one of the stops.
“I don’t think I’ve had a day off in 44 days,” Beyoncé reveals in one segment, eclipsed by footage of her working with a medical team to rehab her knee after undergoing surgery right before the tour’s kickoff.
The tone of the film is not one of browbeating, but rather of joy: “I’m excited for people to get to see the process and the true beauty of it,” Beyoncé says in one scene.
Her eye for detail is in every nook and cranny of the experience — even dressing her crew in reflective silver suits to match the disco ball motif of the tour so that the audience could see the workers’ “choreography” as they moved about the stage.
There are plenty of other sanguine moments throughout the pop doc, such as Beyoncé being surprised by Diana Ross at her birthday show in Los Angeles or when all of the original Destiny’s Child members reunite backstage in a moment of “healing.”
There’s also a large focus paid to Beyoncé’s return to her old stomping grounds in Houston as the film crew follows the singer and family members driving by her favorite soul food spot, Frenchy’s Chicken, as well as her old house in the 3rd Ward. The footage is accompanied by home videos and Polaroids illustrating where the singer’s rise began.
Daughter Blue Ivy’s cameo in the film was covered extensively by the media prior to the doc’s release, and watching the final product is a revelation. The scenes in which Beyoncé expresses hesitation in letting the wishful 11-year-old perform during a show — and watching mom coach and cheer her daughter through it all — are incredibly compelling and enriching material that bring an emotional heel to the film.
Even though Beyoncé may have made history already this year — in February becoming the most Grammy-nominated female artist of all time — “Renaissance” makes it clear she’s entering a new phase, one she hails at the end of the film as “liberation.”
NOTE: Stick around for the end credits; in a surprise move, Beyonce dropped her new song “My House” to coincide with Thursday’s film release.
