Directed by Nadia Hallgren, Becoming follows Michelle Obama during a 34-city book tour in 2018. The Netflix documentary offers insight into the subject's experiences as the wife of former U.S. President Barack Obama, but the collective 89 minutes are mostly focused on highlighting Michelle the woman, and who she wants to be moving forward, not Michelle the wife.
Netflix's Becoming covers familiar ground about Michelle's eight years in the White House, most notably through references to security details and her public persona. There's a sense of familiarity when the former First Lady speaks about her daughters, Malia and Sasha, and how her life changed after the 2008 election. Through on-camera interviews, however, Michelle offers her true feelings about being in the spotlight, and continuously points out that her time in Washington D.C. doesn't define her as a woman. Michelle Obama's 2018 memoir, Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice, won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.
As a whole, Becoming highlights the personality traits that have made Michelle Obama so popular and influential over the years. But the biggest reveals emerge when she speaks honestly about her trials and tribulations, and all the hurtful moments that made her look inward and become a stronger woman. Here are the biggest reveals in Becoming on Netflix.
Early in Becoming, Michelle Obama reflects about leaving the White House in 2017, and how she sobbed aboard Air Force One due to the "release" of trying to do everything "perfectly" during the previous eight years. "Your life isn't yours," the former First Lady states; a concept that ties into the premise for the Netflix documentary. By hitting the road for a nationwide book tour, Michelle could begin the next chapter in life and be herself: "totally me, unplugged."
At a Barnes & Noble meet-and-greet, Michelle Obama reveals the true impact of her book tour, stating, "It's like an emotional, sociological dance with people." Footage shows her meeting people of different backgrounds, and she always makes sure to ask questions while making eye contact with each individual. Michelle discusses the importance of living in the moment, and how shared stories give her the perspective that she needs. "This is how I relate to people, and it helps me stay connected."
Various segments in Becoming show Michelle Obama speaking matter-of-factly to young students. For example, when asked about feeling "invisible" as a young black woman, she reveals that she never actually felt that way because her mother welcomed questions about the surrounding world, and also because she learned how to find tools within herself in order to stay motivated and productive. When discussing her life as America's First Lady, she says, "So little of who I am happened in those eight years. So much more of who I was happened before."
When focusing on her childhood, Michelle Obama says, "I am from the South Side of Chicago. That tells you as much about me as you need to know." Michelle reflects about the death of her late father from ALS, and how he would listen to jazz records at home after finishing work ("Him coming up those stairs was like God returning home"). She also jokes about being hardened as a woman after her mother realized that she was too nice to her first child - Michelle's brother, Craig. In Becoming, Michelle and her brother joke around about how much has changed over the years, and the former First Lady also underlines the importance of being both vulnerable and independent-minded. In one particularly fascinating sequence, Michelle remembers a high school counselor who didn't believe she was "Princeton material" like her brother. "It was a punch," Michelle says, "I'm still a little salty about that... still a little salty about it."
In Becoming, Michelle Obama describes herself as a "box checker" when she first met her would-be husband, Barack. She recalls being immediately struck by the tone of his voice and intellect, but also being concerned about how her Harvard colleagues would view them as a couple. Much of the documentary explores how Michelle simply didn't want to be an "appendage" to Barack Obama's success. Instead, she wanted to continuously pursue her own dreams, but found that to be difficult upon having children. Ultimately, Michelle came to the realization that true happiness meant that she didn't have to be dependent on her husband, but would rather have to be more proactive.
Once the 2008 campaign process commenced, Michelle realized that she couldn't be as "raw" when speaking to the American public, if only because she quickly discovered how the media would misrepresent words and facial expressions. And so she had to be "much more scripted" in order not to be portrayed as an "angry black woman." During one of the most vulnerable moments in Becoming on Netflix, Michelle Obama reveals how deeply the negative media portrayals impacted her mental health, stating, "That changes the shape of a person's soul." The second half of the Netflix documentary builds from that concept, and shows what Michelle is doing now to strengthen her legacy.
In another honest moment, Michelle Obama reveals in Becoming that she was traumatized by the results of the 2016 U.S. election. Specifically, however, she was bothered by the fact that many black Americans didn't vote. After what she and Barack Obama accomplished by reaching the the White House, Michelle describes the election results as a "slap in the face." Her reaction connects to an earlier moment in the Netflix documentary when she states, "We focus too much on stats and not story." Meaning, she hopes that voters of all ages and backgrounds can use their voice to create change rather than wasting an opportunity. "This is not a game," she says, "After all that work, they couldn't be bothered to vote all all. That's my trauma." Because Michelle Obama is so concerned about the lack of hope amongst young voters, she's motivated to reconnect with Americans, and to utilize all the tools that she developed as a young woman before meeting meeting America's 44th president.
Segment by segment, Becoming reinforces the central message that Michelle is committed to mentoring young children and students all over the world. She cites her "rare experiences" as a motivating factor, along with her firm belief that people are "good" and "decent." Now that Michelle and Barack are "empty-nesters," and that their daughters are off into the world, the former First Lady has locked into her "basic joy" in life, which is helping others become better versions of themselves, and to make them aware of the bigger picture as independent-minded thinkers. As Becoming on Netflix concludes, Michelle says "You have to believe that your story has value. Be vulnerable. Dare to be vulnerable."
