This is Paris

So if you read the blog, you know that I love Paris Hilton. When I heard about her documentary This is Paris, I truly dropped everything to watch it on release day and I am so happy to say it is worth a watch!

This is going to be more analytical than my *ahem* memorable Glee 3D review, but I wanted to share my thoughts on this film that is just so on-brand for Down Memory Lane. There's nothing I love doing more than nostalgia popping up in present day. And no one takes me back to the early 2000s like Paris Hilton.

Let me quickly tap into my film major brain and let you know the technical details. This is Paris is available for viewing on Youtube. Directed by Alexandra Dean, This is Paris is an insightful documentary that tells the behind-the-scenes story of Paris Hilton, fashion mogul, heiress, entrepreneur, and celebrity personality.

The film highlighted very serious, heartbreaking topics and captures stories of childhood trauma and the lasting effect those experiences can have as we grow into adults. Paris truly showcases a side of herself we have not seen before, right down to the nasally voice her character is so well known for. As someone who was made a mockery of in the media, Paris now has the chance to share her own side of things. I think the scene that stuck with me most was actually the moment when Paris described her sex tape being released. It was the early 2000s and the entertainment industry was even more misogynistic than it is today. Though things like this still happen and female celebrities are consistently held to a different standard than their male counterparts, Paris really experienced some awful reactions. Her privacy was violated, and not only was this violation made into a joke, but it became something she was blamed for and accused of for the sake of media attention. Revenge porn, nude photo hacks, and scandals of the like are slowly starting to be understood for their damaging consequences on the individuals targeted, as people like Jennifer Lawrence and Heather Morris speak up. But Paris' story captured the grossness of being publicly humiliated and shamed. She is still recovering from that situation to this day, and I believe her.

With a running time at almost two hours, I would say the film felt like it dragged at parts. Paris was absolutely vulnerable and I applaud her for sharing her truth. However, she definitely controlled the narrative. I would have liked the film to dive into things a bit more deeply, but I'm not sure in what ways that could have been portrayed and what Paris was comfortable delving into with the audience.

One of the final moments of This is Paris, where Paris reconnects with other survivors of her alleged boarding school abuse is completely unlike anything I would have expected from a Paris Hilton documentary, in the best way possible. It shows raw emotion presented so delicately and I want to thank Alexandra Dean for doing such a solid job. I was actually tearing up and smiling at the same time.

I could probably go on a tangent about Paris Hilton for days. I could talk about how much I loved seeing Kim Kardashian labelled as Paris' former assistant. Or how Paris wanting to name her future child London made my little Zack and Cody heart burst. But ultimately I want to tell you to go watch this film. It's a surprising winner of 2020 film releases.