Matangi/Maya/M.I.A., the new documentary created by Mathangi Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) and Steve Loveridge, does not follow the traditional celebrity documentary format. Those of us who were hoping for an hour and a half of music, fashion, and general glamour, in the vein of a British, hip-hop version of Katy Perry: Part of Me, will be sorely disappointed.
Unquestionably, Loveridge could have created a rockumentary depicting M.I.A.’s controversial exploits. She’s given us enough to talk about over the years: her amazing rise to fame in the 2000s, her turbulent romantic relationship with world-famous producer Diplo, her performance at the Grammy Awards, pregnant in a see-through dress, on stage with Jay-Z and Kanye, and, of course, her decision to flip off the crowd at the Superbowl in 2012.
Despite all this delicious content, however, the film focuses less on M.I.A. as a global popstar, and more on her experience as a refugee in Britain in the 80s, and the trials she faced as the daughter of a Sri Lankan Tamil resistance leader. In the film, Arulpragasam explains “this is what happened to a kid whose dad became a terrorist, and this is how it fucked up the family”. The film is largely comprised of Arulpragasam home movies, revealing a deeply intimate portrait of herself and her family. The portrayal of her life in this documentary is so raw that, even after watching the trailer, the viewer is left with a feeling of unease. Recorded on a home video camera, we see Arulpragasam’s father claim that he “never left the family,” despite the fact that his wife and children did not know whether he was dead or alive for ten years. Arulpragasam has invited us into her living room to see the real, domestic consequences of terrorism on her adolescence in Britain.
Arulpragasam is an activist, and her frank comments on the subject of global politics have often landed her in trouble. The United States have restricted her access into and out of the country since the release of her first album, and after she raised the middle finger at the Superbowl in 2012, many Americans claimed she had committed a crime worse than burning the flag. Her music videos are full of comment on political affairs across the world – take the “Borders” video, for example, which was filmed in south India and based on the topic of migration. It’s only right, therefore, that Mathangi/Maya/M.I.A. offers some comment on global politics today, and it does. Footage of unrest in Sri Lanka, interviews with victims of political violence, and images of would-be migrant children climbing 30-foot fences are all woven into the movie. However, Loveridge has commented that he could not fully commit to global politics in the film, claiming that the film was simply becoming too complicated: “I’m investigating the Sri Lankan government’s collusion with major social media outlets and 45 minutes ago we were dealing with Justine Frischmann and Elastica.”
Released earlier this month, the documentary is showing at the Irish Film Institute, the Light House Cinema, and Cineworld. In one of her home videos, Arulpragasam states, “I will show you my fucking story,” and I can’t wait to see it.
