BTS stand in the middle of the stage at Wembley Stadium, mouths wide in shock. The huge crowd in front of them – watching them become the first South Korean artists to headline the iconic venue in 2019 – sings their 2016 single ‘Epilogue: Young Forever’ to them in a surprise stunt concocted by the group’s team and fanbase, ARMY. Tears sparkle in the seven members’ eyes and roll down their cheeks. as the song comes to an end, singer Jungkook says, “This is why I can’t stop loving you.”
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Every fandom thinks their relationship with their favourite artist is special, but there are few that feel as unique and connected as BTS and ARMY. You can sense it in the footage of that moment at Wembley and it’s palpable throughout BTS ARMY: Forever We Are Young, a new documentary that tells the K-pop superstars’ story through the lens of their almighty fanbase.
Even if you’re a paid-up member of ARMY yourself, it’s awe-inspiring to be taken back through the fans’ years of commitment to the group and to relive their impact on BTS’ success. We’re reminded of how supporters in the US would volunteer hours to tweeting and calling radio stations to get the group played on the airwaves – and how they were often faced with disheartening, racist responses. “They’d tell us sometimes to request real music because they’re not singing in English,” fan Amy recalls of that time before the BTS phenomenon had made a crack in the mainstream.
There are heartwarming stories from fans of all backgrounds about how the boyband’s music has impacted their lives. Some found comfort in it during mental health struggles, others used it to find happiness as they faced natural disasters and the loss of loved ones. Multiple ARMYs in the film talk of how BTS’ members helped them understand their own gender identities and unlock who they really are. The powerful activism that ARMY have been involved in – like matching BTS’ $1million Black Lives Matter donation in 2020 – gets its recognition too, highlighting the potency of a united, engaged community.
But BTS ARMY: Forever We Are Young isn’t just a surface-level look at how much BTS’ audience love and connect with them. It also tackles less positive angles of the two parties’ stories. In its concise 90-minute runtime, it manages to touch on the pressures the fanbase could have unintentionally created for the band they love so much, referencing the seven-piece’s struggles in 2018 that almost led to them disbanding. “I always have this mixed feeling about what we did to get them on Billboard and get them on the radio,” fan Amanda comments. “Maybe it was too much pressure too fast.”
The doc highlights the romanticisation of Korean culture that the boom of interest in K-pop has led to – a phenomenon that airbrushes over the very real social and economic issues and inequalities in the country – and acknowledges the toxic side of the fandom. Filmmakers Grace Lee and Patty Ahn don’t shy away from shining a light on the uglier side of ARMY and, by extension, K-pop culture. The film is ultimately stronger for it.
Overall though, BTS ARMY: Forever We Are Young is a touching watch that serves as a reminder of the importance of community – particularly one that can overlook differences and transcend borders, languages and cultural backgrounds to come together as one. It’s a tribute to the joy, hope and love that pop culture and a shared devotion to it can bring. It’s proof that stanning a boyband can be a life-changing force for good, rather than the frivolous waste of time some would make it out to be.
Details
- Directors: Grace Lee and Patty Ahn
- Release date: July 30 (in cinemas, limited screenings)