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Blackpink: Light Up the Sky

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Blackpink: Light Up the Sky
Official release poster
Directed byCaroline Suh
Produced byCara Mones
Starring
CinematographyLuke McCoubrey
Edited byPeter Holmes
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • October 14, 2020(2020-10-14)
Running time
79 minutes
Countries
  • South Korea
  • United States
Languages
  • Korean
  • English
  • Thai

Blackpink: Light Up the Sky(Korean:세상을 밝혀라;RR:Sesang-eul Balkyeora,stylized asBLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky)[1]is a 2020documentary filmdirected byCaroline Suh,that tells the story of South Korean girl groupBlackpinkas bandmates and as individuals, and details their rise to fame.[2][3]The documentary film was released just under two weeks after the release of Blackpink's first studio albumThe Album,and has been described as "an endearing documentary that emphasizes each member's individuality".[4]

Blackpink: Light Up the Skywas released worldwide onNetflixon October 14, 2020. It is Blackpink's first documentary and Netflix's firstK-poporiginal content.[5]

Synopsis

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The all-access documentary covers the four years since Blackpink's debut in 2016 with video footages from their training days, a look into their day-to-day life, behind-the-scenes stories, and interviews with the members. It follows the trials and tribulations of being a K-pop star, the recording process of the group's debut albumThe Albumand member Rosé's then-upcoming solo debut, and culminates with their 2019Coachellaperformance.

Cast

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Background

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The K-pop phenomenon has been sweeping the globe and Blackpink has arguably become the most recognizable and most popular girl group in the world. Director Caroline Suh's trusted relationship with Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa offers organic and honest moments that give viewers an authentic inside look into the lives of Blackpink, as well as the dedication and grueling preparation each member puts into every hit song, history-making performance and sold-out arena tour. We’re thrilled to bring their story to their fans worldwide.

— Adam Del Deo, Vice President of Documentary Features at Netflix[5]

The documentary film was directed byCaroline Suh,theEmmy-nominated filmmaker of Netflix docuseriesSalt Fat Acid Heat,produced by Cara Mones, and executive produced byRadicalMedia.[7]The project was brought to Carolina Suh by Netflix, as the company had been working with Blackpink to develop their first K-pop project.[8]The film was shot over two periods of time, with the first period in the fall of 2019 and the second period in February 2020 before theCOVID-19 pandemicbecame a global issue. The archive footages of Blackpink's training days were provided by the group's agencyYG Entertainment.[9]Speaking about the film, Suh hoped the documentary "humanizes all of the Blackpink members and that people can kind of see them as three dimensional people rather than just these idols or icons."[10]

During the film's global press conference, member Rosé revealed that the titleLight Up the Skycame up during the shoot while they were in the studio, and it was one of the lyrics of the group's song "How You Like That".[11]

Promotion

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On September 8, 2020, Netflix and Blackpink announced the premiere ofBlackpink: Light Up the Skyon their social media accounts.[1]The official trailer was dropped on October 5 on Netflix'sYouTubechannel and its other social media accounts.[12]

Ahead of the film's release, Blackpink held a global press conference inSeoul,joined by director Caroline Suh fromNew York Citythrough videoconference on October 13. The event was livestreamed due to concerns over theCOVID-19 pandemic.[13]Upon the release of the film on October 14, profile icons of all four Blackpink members were made available on Netflix.[2]

Reception

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Audience viewership

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The film ranked first on Netflix upon release in 28 out of 78 countries and regions.[14]According to Netflix, it was the most viewed documentary across Asia, specifically Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand.[15][16]

Critical response

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On the review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes,the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10.[17]

Natalie Winkelman ofThe New York Timescalled the film an "endearing documentary that emphasizes each member’s individuality" as it "draws a line from the challenging lives Blackpink led as trainees to the pressure and loneliness they now face as global celebrities", but criticized on how the film declined to "dig deeper into the ways YG engineers and commercializes talent at such a young age".[4]The Ringer's Kate Halliwell praised the film director saying that Suh "cuts through K-pop’s strongest stereotypes to get to the truth behind not only the group, but the four unique women who make it."[6]Kate Erbland ofIndieWiregave the film a "B" rating, calling the film "glossy and fun" and that although the film offered an "intimate introduction" to Blackpink and "deeper insights about the price of fame", it didn't gloss much over to the other side of K-pop and lacked "in-depth examination of the" trainee "experience".[18]

Accolades

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Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref(s)
SEC Awards Best Documentary Blackpink: Light Up the Sky Won [19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab@netflix(September 8, 2020)."BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky — an all-access documentary about one of the world's most popular groups — premieres in your area on October 14! Oh and that's not all... on October 14, these music icons will also become Netflix profile icons"(Tweet).RetrievedOctober 4,2020– viaTwitter.
  2. ^abMinsker, Evan (September 9, 2020)."Netflix Announces BLACKPINK Documentary Light Up the Sky".Pitchfork.RetrievedOctober 4,2020.
  3. ^Murphy, Chris (September 9, 2020)."Blackpink: Light Up the Sky to Light Up Netflix This October".Vulture.RetrievedOctober 4,2020.
  4. ^abWinkelman, Natalie (October 14, 2020)."Blackpink: Light Up the Sky to Light Up Netflix This October".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 14,2020.
  5. ^abWhite, Peter (September 8, 2020)."Netflix Explores K-Pop With Blackpink Documentary".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedOctober 4,2020.
  6. ^abcHalliwell, Kate (October 14, 2020)."'Light Up the Sky' Doesn't Gawk at Blackpink—It Tries to Understand Them ".The Ringer.RetrievedOctober 15,2020.
  7. ^"Blackpink".RadicalMedia.RetrievedOctober 4,2020.
  8. ^Boone, John (October 14, 2020)."BLACKPINK Wanted 'Everything to Be Real' in Their Netflix Documentary (Exclusive)".Entertainment Tonight.RetrievedOctober 14,2020.
  9. ^Miller, Shannon (October 13, 2020)."Director Caroline Suh on Netflix's BLACKPINK doc Light Up The Sky:" I hope this humanizes them "".AV Club.RetrievedOctober 14,2020.
  10. ^Tangcay, Jazz (October 14, 2020)."'Blackpink: Light Up the Sky' Director Caroline Suh on Charting the Rise of Korea's Biggest Girl Band ".Variety.RetrievedOctober 14,2020.
  11. ^Bueno, Seven (October 14, 2020)."Blackpink and Director Caroline Suh 'Light Up the Sky'".Manila Bulletin.RetrievedOctober 14,2020.
  12. ^Rowley, Glenn (October 6, 2020)."Watch Blackpink 'Light Up the Sky' in First Trailer For Netflix Documentary".Billboard.RetrievedOctober 14,2020.
  13. ^Choi, Ji-won (October 14, 2020)."Blackpink unveiled: Netflix documentary searches beyond the spotlight".The Korea Herald.RetrievedOctober 14,2020.
  14. ^Hicap, Jonathan (October 16, 2020)."'BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky' documentary ranks first in 28 countries on Netflix ".Manila Bulletin.RetrievedNovember 12,2020.
  15. ^Basbas, Franchesca (December 21, 2020)."Netflix unveils 2020's most-watched shows in Asia – BLACKPINK's Light Up the Sky, ARASHI's Diary Voyage, It's Okay To Not Be Okay, Start-Up, and more".Bandwagon.RetrievedDecember 23,2020.
  16. ^"What Asia Watched in 2020".Netflix Media Centre.December 9, 2020.RetrievedApril 21,2021.
  17. ^"BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky (2020)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango.RetrievedOctober 30,2021.
  18. ^Erbland, Kate (October 13, 2020)."'Blackpink: Light Up the Sky' Review: Netflix Documentary Offers Intimate Intro to K-Pop's Biggest Girl Group ".IndieWire.RetrievedOctober 14,2020.
  19. ^"Conheça os ganhadores do SEC Awards 2021".Series Em Cena.June 21, 2021. Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2021.RetrievedJune 21,2021.
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