After the George Michael documentary “Freedom” was shown in the United Kingdom, celebrity fans took to Twitter to post their reactions.
The much-anticipated George Michael documentary “Freedom” was finally shown in the United Kingdom on October 16 and celebrity fans took to Twitter to sing praises for the film.
Overseen and narrated in part by George Michael himself, “Freedom” was his final project before he died on Christmas 2016. The documentary chronicled his early career and fame from his Wham! Days to his growth as an award-winning musician. The film covered the difficulties he faced in this journey with surprising candor, talking about the death of his lover Anselmo Feleppa, his worries about AIDs, and lawsuit with his record label Sony.
Fans and viewers alike took to Twitter in droves, tweeting their emotions and opinions throughout the 1 hour and 50 minutes special. Many of these fans used the special George Michael emojis created to mark this occasion. It was not surprising that the Twitter hashtag #GeorgeMichaelFreedom was trending in the United Kingdom for hours. Even celebrities joined in the fun.
Highly Anticipated Documentary
Singer Sam Smith tweeted his excitement to watch the documentary and enjoined his followers to tune into Channel 4.
Elton John’s official Twitter account likewise reminded his fans to see “Elton reflects on the career of his friend @georgemichael tonight.”
And for George Michael’s fans, the documentary delivered. Twitter user @rob_zooter tweeted “This George Michael film is just brilliant….outstanding.”
LGBT writer Nick Levine tweeted that he recommends the documentary “to anyone interested in music/pop culture/the LGBT experience/life.”
A Man of Great Talent
The documentary showed a man on top of his art – and what a great loss his death was. British singer Nerina Pallot tweeted that George is the “only person to be able to hold a candle vocally to Aretha.”
X Factor finalist and singer Johnny Robinson calls George “One the best male British Vocalist EVER X
Vicki Notaro, editor-in-chief of Stellar Magazine describes George as “A true artist, a sensitive soul, a great talent and someone who just got it”
Twitter user @HelpfulOlive summarizes the feeling very well in her tweet: ”What a complicated, intelligent, searching, soulful, beautiful, vulnerable man George Michael was. And what a loss.”
Nonetheless, there were some people who were critical of the documentary particularly the choices of the talking heads. Charlie Phillips of The Guardian tweeted that he gave up on the George Michael doc: “Too many waffling talking heads, and no Corden for me pls.”
Heartbreaking and Brilliant
Watching the documentary was heart-wrenching for many fans, including other celebrities. British novelist and journalist Jojo Moyes calls the documentary “heartbreaking. Reminder that you have little idea what burdens public figures are carrying.”
English actress and TV personality Claire Sweeney said that watching the documentary “broke my heart.”
Sue Gayler said that the documentary is brilliant, but with “tears falling, my heart is broken, it’s like he’s died all over again.”
Irish actor and entertainer Rory Cowan praised it by tweeting, “What a terrific documentary. What a talented musician he was. So brilliant.”
Another one “sitting in tears” while watching the doc was comedian Janey Godley. According to her, “Watching him sing “a different corner” my heart’s broke, And DANCING? fuck….I love watching him dance. What a songwriter. He wrote my life. Well done.”
Actor Ian Conningham described George as a “brilliant and beautiful soul,” while actress Suanne Braun described George as brilliant and that she misses his talent.
The Freedom documentary was honest, emotional, moving portrayal of a troubled man. It’s the last gift of George Michael to his fans. As bestselling author Shy Keenan said, “I miss him so much ..it actually hurts .. he helped me find my #Freedom ..good bless his soul, forever in my heart❤