Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft – The Tour Live in 3D – Film Review
by Ailsa Marrinan

Directors – James Cameron, Billie Eilish
Writers – Tarik Mikou, Billie Eilish
Stars – Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell, Andrew Marshall

Long-time Billie Eilish fan, Ailsa Marrinan, gives her take on the new Billie Eilish Live Film released today. 

On May 17th, 2024, singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas released their new album “Hit Me Hard And Soft”. This was a breathtaking album, which translated wonderfully into a live show. Billie has mentioned multiple times that she wants at least one song per album “to be purposely insane live”, and she accomplished this to a new level with this album. This movie was so impactful and immersive because of Billie’s synaesthesia, which gives her an innate ability to utilise all of your senses. This combined seamlessly with James Cameron’s directorial style to portray the most accurate experience of the concert.

Cameron, the director of Titanic and Avatar, is well-versed in visually captivating filmmaking, which made him a perfect fit for this project. “Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)” was co-directed by Eilish, alongside Cameron. With Eilish’s creative process on show and Cameron’s attention to detail, the viewer feels as if they are right there in the audience.

A monumental part of this film was the fans. The relationship that Eilish has with them made them a star in this feature. Cameron’s use of sound magnificently portrayed the sheer energy of the fans. They communicated to Billie through their shift in volume. Billie says specifically when she sings “Your Power”, “when it gets to ‘how dare you and how could you’ the crowd gets louder and louder on those lines and scream ‘how dare you’, and that always makes me feel so good and so sad because they are feeling what I am saying”. This connection to the fans does not go unnoticed. Not only do the fans communicate their affection by shouting and screaming, but they also show respect and care by staying completely silent while Billie uses the loop pedal during “When The Party’s Over”. The fans are a part of Eilish’s backing track in songs like “Wildflower” and “TV”; you truly feel as though you are part of the performance.

The large screens on stage contained visuals for each song. These images should have been used in the film, as each one was perfectly curated to enhance the message of the song. Specifically in “Bury A Friend”, the horror visuals are another element of her artistic vision that was not exhibited as clearly as they should have been. I thought this was somewhat surprising, as the visuals are designed by Eilish herself, and a major part of Cameron’s style is striking images.

Billie has resonated with such a huge volume of people, and it is easy to see why, as the energy she brings to the stage is unlike what any other artist is doing. Whether that is sprinting around the stage or crying with her fans, she gives her all in every performance. The excitement that the performance creates is shown and maintained throughout the full two-hour movie. I personally thought it was brilliant!