While many are obsessively loving (or hating) on the latest Lil Nas X song and music video, I’m focused on his film debut. Earlier this month, Lil Nas X shared the first look at his upcoming HBO documentary, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero.
Lil Nas X’s now-deleted January 4 tweet shared a January premiere date for the documentary. Filmed in part during the fall of 2022, Long Live Montero—named for his first world tour, the Long Live Montero Tour—centers around the rapper-singer’s life and legacy so far. This includes both Lil Nas X the performer and the rarely seen outside of artistic mentions, Montero Lamar Hill.
Directed by Carlos LĂłpez Estrada (Blindspotting) and Zac Manuel (Nonstop), the documentary explores his childhood and present superstardom. Between these directors’ previous work and Lil Nas X’s openness about his queerness and struggles with money pre-fame, we can confidently assume the film will explore topics of race, class, and sexuality.
Without even a trailer out yet, we’ve had to rely on reactions from people who saw Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero at the Toronto Film Festival on September 9, 2023. Following the documentary’s world premiere at TIFF, Lil Nas X shared he had some hesitation about doing the film. During the Q&A he stated, “I hate people knowing about my life because then I can’t keep my whole funny persona. […] But, I’m happy I did [it].” That trepidation about being vulnerable outside of his music showed through in much of the interview. And it honestly makes me even more excited about the film.
Lil Nas X rarely shows himself in a serious light unless he’s talking through his music. Even then, there are gags at play and several layers to communicate what he feels while maintaining some distance. I’m sure there will be lots of lighter moments in the documentary but you can only hold back so much.
The official synopsis from HBO reads:
Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero captures the creative dynamo and mesmerizing star power of Lil Nas X, the Grammy Award-winning rapper, singer, and songwriter, as he embarks on his first-ever headlining U.S. tour. With unparalleled access, the film follows the genre-breaking artist as he navigates his meteoric rise to fame, his desire to inspire his fans, and his place in the pantheon of Black queer icons.
Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero will premiere on HBO on January 27 at 8 PM ET, and will also stream on Max.
(via @LilNasX on Twitter, featured image: Photo by Isaiah Trickey/FilmMagic)
