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Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devilopens in a state of disbelief.
So you just want to know everything?
her former assistant asks, with some incredulity.
Are we talking about heroin, are we doing that?
one of her best friends asks as the documentary shifts gears to Lovatos relapse.
Okay then Ill just tell you the real Ill just give you the real.
After she overdosed, both the 2018 documentary and tour were canceled.
Now Lovato has a lot to get off her chest.
And already shesmakingheadlinesfor her unusually frank discussion of mental health, substance use, and sexual assault.
ButDancing With the Devilisnt just a high-profile tell-all.
Such myth-making is the churn of the celebrity documentary, an art unto itself.
Although Lovatos origin story has been told before in2017sSimply Complicated,Dancing With the Devilstill starts at the top.
These guideposts are there to inform the next stage of the documentary, which is her 2018 relapse.
Dancing With the Devilunderlines the weight of this scrutiny, not just on Lovato but her loved ones.
With stardom comes a life constantly in the public eye.
What Ive learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time,she wrote.
It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet.
Just as crucially as what we see is whats left out.
The third episode, released this week, opens with practically a direct address to correct the record.
Dont be afraid of saying anything.
And I just want the truth to be told, because you deserve that.
Its baked into the structure of the documentary as well.
Just because some of Lovatos life moments were captured on JumboTrons doesnt mean we saw her life.
(A recovery like hers is only possible with the help of a pop stars bank account.)
This is her music, her recovery, and her future.
After all, well never really get the full image.
