BTS documentaries, besides showing us the number of new creative BTS-themed titles there can be, can also offer a window into the band’s innermost thoughts. The eight-episode docu-series BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star traces the seven-member band’s journey from their doe-eyed debut days to international stardom. While this journey is taken for granted now, the docu-series reminds viewers that there were tribulations at every step of the way that very nearly impacted the band’s existence. Seeing the members now sitting on plush couches, commentating on their past selves, one realizes how much they’ve grown and changed over the years. The first two episodes, titled “The Beginning” and “Adolescence,” recap their debut, first several concerts, and 2017 Billboard debut. It combined Bangtan-Bomb-style behind-the-scenes footage, concert clips, and present-day interviews with the members and HYBE (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) leadership. The interviews with Bang Si-hyuk, the founder and chairman of HYBE, and meetings between him and the band, show that the label prioritizes the mental health of its artists, even if it comes at a cost to short-term productivity.
This documentary is released as the remaining band members enlist in South Korea’s mandatory military service. It’s part of their promise to return as a unit in 2025 after they complete their service periods, and it’s one of many pieces of content the band has prepared to release for fans, known as ARMY, during the group hiatus.
In the K-pop world, authenticity is a double-edged sword. Group members have to feel authentic enough and express enough facets of their personality to feel interesting and attractive to fans, but not so much so that their existential concerns impact the perception of the member, group, or label. But tamping down real, unrefined emotional turbulence to showcase a veneer of perfection to fans has a real cost to K-pop stars’ mental health and, at times, their lives.
BTS is not alone in navigating authentic self-expression under global scrutiny, but the maturity with which they approach existential questions that would change the trajectories of their lives and the lives of millions of ARMY, all the while maintaining an extremely high level of performance, is nothing short of superhuman. In the first episode, RM recounts his fear of being rejected after opening up about his struggles and imperfections, but it’s this very candor and vulnerability that allows ARMY to relate even more with the band. The docu-series does not delve into the misunderstandings, false accusations, and other controversies that threatened BTS’ reputation. Rather, the program allows the bandmates to open up about the uncertainties they experienced starting a few years after their debut, uncertainties that led them to question if continuing on as a group was the right decision. This was no secret to long-time ARMY, as Jin shared these thoughts in their speech at 2018 MAMA and the rest of the members shared similar sentiments in a previous documentary, Break the Silence, but it was no less heartbreaking to hear the members discuss it again. While the bandmates expressed optimism about the band staying together in Break the Silence, they were more candid about the direness of the situation in BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star. And while the members calmly recalled their difficult times, the behind-the-scenes footage show the depths of anguish, emotion, and burnout they were experiencing during that time.
Besides recalling the tough situations that the band has endured, the docu-series lets the viewers see the band’s offstage interactions (a la Bangtan Bomb), capturing the bandmates’ brotherly camaraderie in both good and challenging times. It’s clear through the interviews that the members’ bonds with each other were what kept them going through the loneliness, indecision, and doubts. It’s bittersweet to know that the bandmates’ loyalty to each other and their fear of disappointing each other were what kept BTS in tact, even if it came at expense of the individual members’ personal pursuits.
For long-time ARMY, BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star may not provide any new information, but it does serve as a reminder of the band’s maturity and the long, difficult path they’ve been on alongside ARMY. For non-fans, it’s a look under the glittery facade of fame and a chance to connect with the humility and humanity that BTS embodies.
