Directors: James Cameron, Billie Eilish
Writer: Tarik Mikou, Billie Eilish
Stars: Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell, Andrew Marshall
Synopsis: An accompanying 3D concert film, documenting the Manchester shows and co-directed by Eilish and James Cameron.
The first time I was introduced to Billie Eilish was through a college class. As part of an exercise in a filmmaking seminar, students had to recreate a scene from a movie, show, or music video of their choosing. The list ranged from movies like Die Hard and Dark City to The Royal Tenenbaums and The Godfather. In this specific class, I was working with a group whose director wanted to recreate a section from the music video of “bury a friend”, a song that had just been released as part of the album “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” The latter was not information I knew at the time, but we worked on creating the set, getting the lighting and the framing of the shot right to pull it off. Every class was four hours, so by the end, we were done and had a recreation on file. At the time, the focus was more on making the recreation of the snippet work, so I wasn’t able to fully get a grasp on Eilish as an artist. Later, I would listen to the album and become more interested in her future ways.
That was 2018. Now in 2026, Billie Eilish is a multi-Grammy winning and two-time Oscar winning singer, with two more excellent albums, “Happier Than Ever” and “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” under her belt, and it is that third album that leads to this documentary, which showcases the final concert of the “Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour,” taking place in Manchester. To pull off this movie, Eilish worked with James Cameron–yes, that one–to film and present the performance in 3D, and create an immersive experience that allows audiences to feel as if they are at the venue themselves. Throughout its 1 hour and 52 minute runtime, audiences are treated to the concert as well as a majority of the setlist that was performed, which contains songs from all her albums as well as singles like her Oscar-winning song “What Was I Made For?.” Sprinkled in between some of the performances, however, are moments behind-the-scenes that provide some insight into Billie Eilish’s process and her life, as well as her connection with the fans who follow her work.
If anyone was curious to catch a glimpse of the effect that Billie Eilish has had on millions around the world, one need only come and watch this movie. Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour is an incredible experience to behold. For fans of her music and her artistry, this is paradise. From a booming, visually flashy opening with a raving crowd around the stage, to a series of kinetic and energetic performances that will have everyone in the know singing and dancing to the beats, Eilish and Cameron direct this wonderfully, and expertly give even more life to an already turbocharged evening. The production design is simple but extremely effective, giving Eilish all the room to literally run circles around it and interact with the fans watching. The camerawork, with Cameron himself holding the camera and recording it, almost never stays still as it often goes from onstage to down below in one fluid motion, with seconds sometimes between performances where Billie Eilish quickly catches her breath or prepares for the next song. It’s seamlessly crafted, further amplified by the excellent use of 3D, which adds a layer of wonderful depth to the crowds as well as the performances onstage, with even the smallest of details popping out to make it even more immersive. Watch out for a shot where even a hair flip from Billie Eilish gets a 3D effect and pops out of the screen.
Interspersed between the performances are moments that chronicle the prep for the concert and conversations between Eilish and Cameron as they discuss her process, with a 3D camera on Cameron’s shoulder filming everything from her vocal preparations to saying hello to fans around her. These moments, while brief, add enough depth to some of the moments on stage, particularly an extended scene where Billie reads a letter from her brother Finneas, who cannot make it to the show and it would mark the first time she hasn’t performed with her brother…until he does (not a spoiler, it’s in the trailer)! Perhaps the best aspect of Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour is it showcases the humanity and personality of Billie Eilish in a manner that makes her far more endearing and a delight to interact with. Another extended segment where Eilish, Cameron, and the concert crew interact with rescue dogs and help provide a moment of peace in the midst of everything. While they may only take up a handful of minutes in the movie’s 1 hour and 53-minute runtime, they help in humanizing and bringing her down to Earth even more, and helps
Where Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) also excels is in its appreciation for Billie Eilish’s fanbase. In perhaps the most affecting part of the movie, the crew speaks with fans who are outside the concert venue camping out and waiting for the show. As the interviewed people talk passionately about why they love her and how Billie’s music has been such an integral part of their lives since they first heard it, the film’s emotional heart comes to the surface, and creates a resonant experience with audiences. At the screening which I attended, fans around were actively sobbing and sniffling to the words, and through those moments, it is very evident just how much of an impact the lyrics to her songs have had on people, and why they showed up to the theater. 400 people, all dressed in concert attire and even like Billie Eilish herself. According to reports, Eilish herself told Cameron that she wanted the movie to include those moments, and it’s to the movie’s benefit that they made it into the final cut.
A great concert movie is defined by the concert itself, yes, but also the filmmaking on display. Both of those aspects are aces here, and by extension, this ultimately makes for a great movie, too. While Billie Eilish and James Cameron are a combination that doesn’t immediately come to mind, one couldn’t imagine a more well-suited duo for this. By the end of Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), fans of Billie Eilish will no doubt have had one of the finest experiences of their lives, from singing and dancing along to the music–at one point, 200 of the 400 people at my screening congregated at the front to dance along and have fun, with the 3D effects almost ‘spilling’ out into them and expanding the image–to being moved by the movie’s more sweeping moments like those fan interactions where Billie says hello to fans camping down below Videotron Center or the interviews outside the concert venue. For those who are new to her music and her persona, the movie may even help bring more fans to the foray, and appreciate her work even more. One thing is for sure: audiences across the board will likely be ‘happier than ever’ by the end.
