Bring the Soul: The Movie gives us a backstage pass to BTS’ landmark Love Yourself tour
Released: 7 August 2019
Director: Jun-Soo Park
It’s October 2018 and the BTS members get together at a rooftop apartment in Paris to reflect on their world tour and celebrate their accomplishments. The landmark ‘Love Yourself’ tour spanned North America, Europe and Asia, putting them on the global music map and propelling them to international stardom.
Of course, they didn’t get to where they are today without tremendous hard work. Bring the Soul gives us an insight into what life is like for the members when the lights go down and fans go home. Performing and touring take a huge toll on them - physically and emotionally.
We see Jungkook distressed because his voice cracks during his solo performance of ‘Euphoria,’ and he’s still beating himself up when the tour is over. He’s also devastated when he injures his foot and can’t fully perform. Similarly, Taehyung breaks down in tears when he loses his voice and struggles to sing live. Jin laments the fact he can’t go anywhere without managers and security and feels sorry for burdening them.
Sometimes, watching the fly-on-the-wall content BigHit release feels invasive. It’s difficult to see your favourite artists suffer because of their commitment to their work and their fans. However, it’s important for fans to see that artists are just as human as the rest of us, even if they are as ridiculously talented as BTS. It’s clear that BTS’ level of fame and success come at a price, but they don’t sit around feeling sorry for themselves either.
Even in their lowest moments, the members support and comfort each other and remind themselves why they’re doing this: for ARMY. When they’re exhausted and homesick, they still acknowledge how fortunate they are to do this for a living and don’t take it for granted. Don’t get me wrong: Bring the Soul isn’t about the downsides of touring by any means.
We see the euphoria of selling out concerts all over the world and the bond that they share as friends. From doing impressions of each other to celebrating their success, there’s no denying that BTS are best friends and are passionate about what they do.
The movie even features snippets of interviews with fans who share what BTS means to them. It’s incredibly moving to witness the scale of BTS’ impact and the connection between the band and ARMY.
Bring the Soul takes us on this rollercoaster with them, and it’s one hell of a ride.