Music documentaries are nothing new with iconic musicians. Take rock queen Tina Turner and pop superstar Janet Jackson, who have headlined their own. Now music superstar Alanis Morissette has added her name to the list. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of her seminal album Jagged Little Pill, Morissette decided to participate in a documentary titled Jagged. Despite his initial cooperation with filmmaker Alison Klayman, the “You Oughta Know” singer wasn’t satisfied with the results. The rock star decided to speak out against the HBO feature documentary.
As the anticipated documentary was set to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, the press noticed the Jagged Little Pill songstress wasn’t present. According to Deadline, Alanis Morissette decided to let her fans know as to why she wasn’t taking part in Jagged's premiere. In an official statement, the iconic rock star revealed why she backed away from the HBO documentary.
I agreed to participate in a piece about the celebration of Jagged Little Pill’s 25th anniversary, and was interviewed during a very vulnerable time (while in the midst of my third postpartum depression during lockdown). I was lulled into a false sense of security and their salacious agenda became apparent immediately upon my seeing the first cut of the film. This is when I knew our visions were in fact painfully diverged. this was not the story I agreed to tell.
Alanis Morissette appeared to be bothered by the documentary’s subject matter. It seemed as if some things in Jagged didn’t sit well with her. Morissette’s words painted a scenario of her trust being betrayed after filming was done. She seemed disappointed by the film, especially when celebrating a special occasion.
Alanis Morissette wasn’t quite done airing out her grievances about the Jagged Little Pill documentary. According to the rock star, she felt taken advantage of by Alison Klayman and HBO. Morissette opened up about her issues about the director and the documentary’s take on her story.
I sit here now experiencing the full impact of having trusted someone who did not warrant being trusted. I have chosen not to attend any event around this movie for two reasons: one is that I am on tour right now. The other is that, not unlike many ‘stories’ and unauthorized biographies out there over the years, this one includes implications and facts that are simply not true. While there is beauty and some elements of accuracy in this/my story to be sure— I ultimately won’t be supporting someone else’s reductive take on a story much too nuanced for them to ever grasp or tell.
The rock singer seemed to hint at there being more to her story than what was portrayed in Klayman’s work. Along with her displeasure with certain parts, Morissette appeared to be busy with her music career. At least, Alanis Morissette didn’t hate all of the Jagged documentary. While the “Ironic” singer may not stand behind the documentary, fans may get some joy from the 25th-anniversary documentary when it arrives on HBO and HBO Max on Nov. 19.
