A surging, turbulent flood of thoughts drove me to watch the film that chronicles the life of the "King of Pop" and the biography of the renowned musical legend, Michael Jackson.
The film chronicles the life story of Michael Jackson, tracing his journey from his childhood in the 1960s and his rise with the Jackson 5, through various personal and professional challenges, to his crowning as a global music legend and his enduring status as an eternal icon of pop music following his death in 2009.
Jaafar Jackson (Michael’s nephew) took on the lead role—marking his film debut—and the audience reaction to the movie *Michael* in theaters was ecstatic. It is no wonder, given how Jaafar resurrected the spirit of Michael Jackson on screen, particularly by recreating the iconic "Moonwalk"—the legendary pop star's most famous signature move.
Yet, the irony for me was that the film deeply bothered me—I didn't like it. His life had been an open book to the world; I was fully aware of the pain he carried and the barrage of paraphilias that weighed heavily upon him—cracks through which he peered out onto the stage. The film irritated me because it cast Michael in a saintly light, portraying him as a figure of absolute perfection, devoid of any flaw or blemish.
The director’s misstep lay in portraying Michael as an icon—an immortal, flawless, and invincible legend—whereas the reality is that Michael the human being endured a series of tragic events from childhood until his sudden death. These ranged from domestic abuse—suffering physical and psychological harm at the hands of his father, Joe—and the loss of his childhood, to his struggle with vitiligo, an obsession with cosmetic surgery, and a life marked by isolation, chronic pain, and severe insomnia, culminating in his death from an overdose of Propofol and sedatives.
The director subjected Michael to a process of "whitening" and cosmetic enhancement—akin to the real-life procedures Michael underwent to alter his skin tone, nose, and facial features—presenting him as a serene, prophetic figure, cleansed of every flaw, error, or blemish. Yet, the reality is that Michael’s fame was forged through his fractures, his alienation, and his confinement within the cages of his own "Neverland" ranch!
The director was intent on rectifying the grim reality of Michael’s life; he crafted a frenetic pace—racing toward a totalizing portrait—out of the star’s psychological scars and physical fractures. He depicted him as a mechanical being—a robot sculpted with a wide, fixed smile—far removed from that tormented soul and its existential struggle between the deprived child and the anguished giant. Yet, the undeniable truth is that the legend of Michael is the tragic tale of a sorrowful child, and a stark embodiment of a giant lost amidst the glare of fame and the dark labyrinths of drug abuse.
Ultimately... The secret behind Michael’s astonishing "Moonwalk"—a move where he would glide effortlessly backward, defying the laws of physics and leaving the world spellbound—was that the 55-kilogram performer was dancing to stem a severe, unhealable internal hemorrhage.
