Penelope Misceo
Staff Writer
The 2017 Fyre Festival, a music festival in the Bahamas, had dire and shocking results, and although it has slowly begun to circulate out of the news, its disorganization is described as totally disastrous.
Netflix and Hulu released two documentaries within the same week, both of which detail the factors that caused the much-anticipated festival in the Bahamas to fall apart, as well as the aftermath. Those responsible for the festival’s failure include the founder, Billy McFarland, and rapper Ja Rule.
Each documentary on the Fyre Festival provides many of the same details, although the stylistic approaches of the films create contrasting opinions.
Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason wrote and produced Hulu’s documentary called “Fyre Fraud,” released on Jan. 14. The documentary focuses on the events leading up to the festival and discusses the lack of planning by the event’s leaders, which eventually led to its unfortunate downfall.
Released on Jan. 19, Elliot Tebele and his marketing company, Jerry Media, produced Netflix’s “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened.” Jerry Media is also the company responsible for advertising the Fyre Festival. The documentary includes details about the horrible conditions attendees faced during the festival.
Each documentary approached the festival very differently. “Fyre Fraud” comically discusses the unrealistic standards that the Fyre Festival’s creators set for the event. It does not show sympathy for the creators of the festival, including McFarland. The satirical use of background music as well as references to pop culture in comparison to the event are used cleverly.
“FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” takes a serious look at the event, and skillfully persuades the audience to feel pity and sadness for those who created or attended the event. The documentary includes emotional interviews with those negatively affected by the festival, whose stories make viewers feel empathetic for them. It also makes it clear that the creators of the documentary sympathize with those who attended the event.
The major contrasts between the releases is their final stance on the festival: “Fyre Fraud” criminalizes McFarland for his acts of fraud and uses interviews with him to suggest sociopathic tendencies. These varying approaches are effective and convincing, but the remainder of the documentary lacks the shock factor that Netflix’s documentary contains.
“FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” takes a serious look at the festival. The documentary is stronger than Hulu’s film in its ability to grip viewer’s attention and humanize workers and attendees involved. However, it subconsciously takes the side of those who created the Fyre Festival, McFarland and his business partner, Ja Rule. It is questionable in its credibility as the producers of the movie were also the marketing company for the Fyre Festival itself. Additionally, the documentary’s opinions and viewpoints lack substantial justification and explanation, which ultimately drives many viewers away.
Netflix and Hulu’s Fyre Festival documentaries take completely different stances on the Fyre Festival, and perplex viewers with their differing, yet captivating opinions. Both documentaries, although enticing in their own ways, give viewers the liberty to create their own opinions on the event.
“Fyre Fraud” is available on Hulu, and “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened” is available on Netflix.
Leave a Reply