I’ll be upfront with you: I genuinely grieved Lil Peep’s death. I wouldn’t have really counted myself as a big fan prior to his passing; I knew who he was and had heard a couple of songs, but that’s all. Yet, when the news of his overdose broke, it profoundly affected me. The idea that someone so young and so loved can be here one second and gone the next sparked one of my many existential crises that year.

‘Everybody’s Everything’, produced by Terrence Malick, is a touching homage to the artist Lil Peep, real name Gustav Åhr. Due to the nature of his career, there is a massive amount of Lil Peep footage: music videos, behind the scenes, gig recordings, interviews, Instagram lives… plus, a huge wealth of childhood home movies. Despite being made posthumously, the documentary could easily be mistaken for a ‘rising star’ piece, following the discovery of a new musician.

For those who have never heard of the artist, the documentary does fantastic work in introducing him and his music without seeming like a generic highlight reel. Instead, it feels like you’re meeting him in real time, through personal footage and interviews with those close to him. These interview pieces are nicely done, they’re relaxed and natural and give intimate insight to a multi-faceted man. It’s easy to feel an attachment develop to the extremely charismatic and charming Lil Peep, albeit with a constant resting anxiety given the inevitable outcome.

Directors Ramez Silyan and Sebastian Jones interweave scenes of intense partying and drug use with painfully sweet clips of Peep’s grandfather and mother with ease. On film, these two sides of Lil Peep jarr in all the right ways, allowing insight into his compartmentalised life without confusing the audience. He was, after all, a man of juxtaposition: his hardcore ‘crybaby’ tattoo, covering half of his forehead, was actually conceived as a way to ground him and keep him grateful. This emotional and fragile personality mixed with the high-speed and tumultuous music industry was, maybe, always going to be a frightful combination.

His story is, in a way, not unoriginal. A young rising star who succumbed to the evils of the industry is a heartbreaking story that has unfortunately been re-told and re-lived many times. Somehow, though, his feels painfully fresh. Lil Peep has a childlike innocence and heightened awareness of self that, combined, create a restless disposition to lean into toxic behaviour while acknowledging the immediate danger. The story of a young boy who craved acceptance and company, and who gave away a lot of himself to get that, should resonate with all of us.

The tone is not overly dramatic, but beautifully poignant, and does a really great job of discussing the impact of mental health and drug use in our younger generations without ever seeming condescending.

Bias aside, it’s a really well crafted piece of work. The documentary is just like Lil Peep himself: intimidating, perhaps, but internally delicate, intelligent and tender.

Directors: Sebastian Jones, Ramez Silyan
Stars: Rob Cavallo, Ghostemane, Horse Head

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