I Was Born This Way
A music documentary revisiting Carl Bean’s disco anthem as a landmark in LGBTQ+ visibility and mainstream cultural representation.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- reflective
- celebratory
- inspirational
- pride month
- music history viewing
What critics said
The available critical aggregate is unanimously positive, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting a 100% score.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Interviews with music figures and archive footage of Carl Bean frame the song's historical significance and queer cultural impact.
Bean's 1977 anthem is positioned as a force for LGBTQ+ visibility in mainstream culture.
Carl Bean's influence is discussed by figures including Billy Porter, Lady Gaga, Questlove, Dionne Warwick, and Maxine Waters.
The film centers Archbishop Carl Bean as a pioneering figure whose contribution to queer representation is treated as a cultural milestone.
Films like I Was Born This Way, and why
The Sound of My Voice
shares a music-documentary form, LGBTQ+ cultural history, and the examination of an artist's influence on queer visibility
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
shares archival music history, marginalized cultural representation, and celebratory testimony from influential artists
Kiki
shares a socially engaged music documentary approach focused on queer identity, representation, and the public impact of popular music
Movie Details
- Directors
- Daniel Junge, Sam Pollard
- Release Date
- 2025-06-05
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 1.0 / 10 (1)
Cast
- Carl Bean
- Billy Porter
- Questlove
- Lady Gaga
- Dionne Warwick
- Maxine Waters
Common questions
- What is I Was Born This Way about?
- A music documentary revisiting Carl Bean’s disco anthem as a landmark in LGBTQ+ visibility and mainstream cultural representation.
- What is I Was Born This Way like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of I Was Born This Way as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is I Was Born This Way violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in I Was Born This Way.
- What did critics think of I Was Born This Way?
- The available critical aggregate is unanimously positive, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting a 100% score.
- Which films are like I Was Born This Way?
- Films with a similar feel include The Sound of My Voice, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), and Kiki.
- How long is I Was Born This Way?
- I Was Born This Way runs 100 minutes.
