A Star is Born is about a love story so traumatic that it is almost as brutal as a breakup movie. But it’s much more complicated, devastating, and depressing in nature. Because of how Ally (Lady Gaga) and Jackson’s (Bradly Cooper) romance ends, I have always seen A Star is Born as a tragic movie. It’s hard to see it in any other way because of the ending and the journey of these characters. Although upon rewatching it, the tragedy in A Star is Born took a different form.
The why behind Ally and Jackson’s decisions, both separately and together, became a lot more prevalent. They were very complex people who needed to find healthy coping mechanisms for their pain beyond each other and their music. A lot of their sadness is rooted in their own lack of self-esteem, doubts, and fears.
My rewatch allowed me to trace how the theme of insecurity took form in A Star is Born.
Warning A Star is Born Spoilers Ahead. Proceed with caution.
I Originally Viewed The Film As Tragic Because Of Jackson’s Death
Jackson’s death, especially because it’s death by suicide, is inherently tragic. The ending of A Star is Born devastates you, especially when Ally starts to sing “I’ll Never Love Again.” She has found her signature style and been freed creatively, but she is presumably not going to recover from this heartbreak. Ally may eventually love again, but she will never love someone the way she loved Jackson.
She is essentially forever heartbroken. A Star Is Born's final images show a happier Ally and Jackson before his death, but it doesn’t change what has transpired and what has been lost. Lady Gaga gives one of her best performances in A Star is Born because she captures Ally’s everlasting grief and sorrow.
I Now See That It Goes Deeper And Relates To His And Ally’s Insecurities
Jackson’s death is the main tragedy of this film, but his insecurities are another part of it. One of the most interesting themes of A Star is Born is the negative effects of insecurities. These feelings are embedded so deep that even fame and fortune can’t erase them. Jackson is a well-known musician long before he meets Ally, but his behavior doesn’t reflect his status. How he sees himself clearly is not as someone who should be held in high esteem.
Ally also doesn’t think highly of herself at the start of the film. One of Jackson and Ally’s first conversations reflects her insecurities about her appearance. After rewatching A Star is Born, I could trace almost every issue between them to their personal insecurities and their insecurities about their relationship. Ally seemingly fears that Jackson will eventually leave her. During their reunion, while he’s in rehab, this fear becomes very apparent.
It not only shocks Jackson but me as well. He’s the one who embarrassed her and caused so many issues in their relationship, but she believes that now that he’s sober, he won’t want her. It's all so deeply sad. She seemingly believes that their relationship is too chaotic to continue, or that he doesn’t truly love her. She fears him running away. This reveal is made even more heart-wrenching when he essentially decides to leave her through death.
Their Childhoods Offer Answers To The Origins Of Their Sadness
Ally and Jackson both reveal quite a bit about their toxic childhoods. They both grew up with alcoholic parents. However, Jackson’s father dies before he becomes sober. Ally’s father has seemingly gotten past that demon. Nevertheless, he still does some things that feed her insecurities. The scene where she returns home from her first night with Jackson shows her father talking about how it’s not about talent but having that star quality. He uses her as an example.
He implies Ally is a great singer but not a star. I assumed that this was an offhanded comment that he makes often. He isn’t doing it with malicious intent, but the damage is still there. These comments have helped create Ally’s belief that she doesn’t have what it takes to make it, either because of her looks or lack of pop star appeal. Jackson doesn’t go into many specifics about how his father has helped create his deep sadness, but everything about his father screams that he was a terrible parent.
Jackson also tells a story about an attempt to die by suicide when he was only 13. If his father paid enough attention, he may have been able to provide the support and help that Jackson needed, such as getting him a therapist.
Ally’s Success Usually Leads To Jackson Behaving Destructively
After rewatching A Star is Born, I noticed a pattern in Jackson’s behavior. Some of his most destructive moments came when Ally was at the height of her career, or about to embark on something that would further it. One example is when she’s approached by Rez (Rafi Gavron) and Jackson smears her face with icing after she tells him about the opportunity. Ally even calls him out at that moment and talks about his jealousy.
I think that Jackson is jealous of Ally’s career possibly surpassing his own. Additionally, I think he fears her becoming too famous and leaving him. Jackson is destructive generally but it definitely reaches its peak when Ally has something big happening in her life. Another example is the infamous Grammy scene. He gets so drunk because he’s feeling down about his own career, as he’s pushed to the background. However, Ally’s success at this time likely doesn’t help his self-esteem.
To Me, It Seems Like Ally Changes Her Appearance Because of Her Insecurity About Not Having The Star Factor
Jackson makes many of his bad choices because of his own insecurities, but Ally also makes some bad choices because of her own self-doubts. Ally, like many artists, including Lady Gaga herself, faces pressure from her manager to change her appearance and music style. Jackson hates her music but Ally only gives some pushback to Rez about it. She eventually transforms herself to fit the label and manager’s ideas for her as an artist.
If Ally had more confidence in herself, she may have fought harder to maintain her artistic voice. We already know that she has been told countless times that she can’t make it because of her nose and appearance. Therefore, she may feel that she must change to have this dream. Ally going back to her original look and singing songs with depth help make A Star is Born’s ending one of the best of 2018. It shows that she has finally gained the confidence to be her true self. She doesn’t need the gimmicks or all the physical changes to become a star.
The Bathroom Fight Reveals A Lot About Each Characters’ Insecurities
Ally and Jackson don’t hold anything back in their big fight scene. She makes fun of his drinking problem and dead father. He calls her ugly and talks about how bad her music is. He also calls her embarrassing and she rightfully points out that he’s embarrassed of himself and projecting that on to her. However, Ally gets so defensive about him insulting her music and appearance, because it’s rude, but also because those are two areas that she also has insecurities about in her life.
Their words hurt because they attack each other’s biggest insecurities.
Jackson’s Death Even Ties Back To Fears And Doubts
Jackson and Ally have a second chance at their relationship after he goes to rehab. A detail you may have missed is his physical transformation. However, it doesn’t reflect his emotions. Maybe briefly he also changes his mentality but it doesn’t last long. After a conversation with Rez and some time to think, Jackson decides to end his life. It seems to stem from his belief that Ally will be better without him.
In my opinion, this shows several of Jackson’s insecurities. He doesn’t feel like he’s strong enough to not bring Ally down with him. He doesn’t believe that he can become the man she needs. He also doesn’t feel strong enough in their bond to stay with her and try to make it work. He may also not have faith in his sobriety.
I know Jackson believes he's sacrificing his life for Ally to live happily without him, but that also shows a clear misunderstanding of her and her love for him. To end one’s life is always a tragedy for everyone involved. It’s equally sad when a person doubts themselves so much that they can’t see how they can bring happiness to themself and those who love them. A Star is Born will always be a tragedy in more ways than one.
