- Published
What's it like to be the main character of an online scandal?
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it → publish → scandal
That's one of the questions raised in a new documentary about Lisa Manobal – one quarter of K-pop phenomenon Blackpink and a breakout star of TV show The White Lotus.
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That → raise → show
The film captures an unfolding controversy, as leaked videos show Blackpink using racial slurs when they were teenage trainees in the K-pop system.
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they → capture → system
The clips, which emerged last year, showed the band covering US rap songs during rehearsals.
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band → emerge → rehearsals
Explicit language, including the n-word, was left uncensored.
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language → include → word
The scandal blew up while Lisa was rehearsing for a pivotal performance at the Coachella Festival in 2025.
Offended and upset, some fans demanded an apology - but the band's record label, forbade the members from issuing a statement.
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label → blow → statement
With Lisa's team in crisis mode, documentarian Sue Kim followed Lisa into her dressing room.
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Kim → follow → room
"I said, 'Look, I know this is new.
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this → say → ?
I know you guys are wildly confused and hurt, but this is your time to say whatever you want to say - even if you're just processing your thoughts and telling us what you're feeling," Kim tells the BBC.
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Kim → know → BBC
The film-maker "honestly expected her to say no".
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her → expect → ?
Instead, Lisa lay down on a sofa and spoke from the heart.
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Lisa → lie → heart
"It's bad," the singer says in the documentary, with a mixture of shame and nerves.
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singer → say → shame
Lisa explains she was "15 or 16" when the videos were shot and "didn't know that [word] was sensitive because I'm from Thailand and my first language is not English".
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language → explain → Thailand
Having only heard the term in rap music, she was unaware of its offensive history.
"
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she → hear → history
Now I would never ever do that because, now, I've got education," she says.
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she → do → education
"Now I know better.
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I → know → ?
"But I did wrong."
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I → do → ?
It is a vulnerable and human response - and nothing like the scripted PR apology you might expect.
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you → script → apology
(Lisa has since apologised publicly, external in an interview with Variety, although some people remained unconvinced, external).
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people → apologise → Variety
Kim says Lisa’s in-the-moment reaction is "one of the most important scenes" in her documentary, Always Lalisa, which hits cinemas on Monday, 12 October.
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which → say → Monday
"There was no premeditation on Lisa's part, there was no media training," she adds.
"
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she → be → part
I asked her one question and she just talked for an hour, and everything came out, and it's all stream of consciousness.
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it → ask → consciousness
"And what you see with Lisa in that moment is so genuine, it's impossible not to feel compassion for her."
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it → see → her
The incident overshadowed what was supposed to be a triumphant launch for Lisa's debut solo album, Alter Ego.
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what → overshadow → album
In the film, the singer receives death threats, but presses ahead with public appearances while safety concerns are "spinning in my head".
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concerns → receive → head
"To a certain extent I have to take [criticism] and compromise," she says, exhausted, "but sometimes, it's too much".
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it → take → criticism
She asks Lisa about bad reviews, and captures the star being scolded by her vocal coach for lack of effort.
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She → ask → effort
That said, the documentary was commissioned by the film division of the star's record label (which also made the recent, and much less revealing, Oasis documentary), so it is still ultimately a marketing product.
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it → say → documentary
Even the most abrasive moments are calibrated to present Lisa in a good light - but the director credits the star with ensuring the film was not a mere puff piece.
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film → calibrate → star
"You never know when you meet an artist how transparent they'll be.
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they → know → artist
And I have to give all credit to Lisa because she allowed us almost total access," Kim says.
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Kim → have → access
"And when I showed her the film, she never asked me to remove a single scene.
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she → show → scene
The film's main storyline is about Lisa taking a break from K-pop to pursue crossover success in the Western music market.
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Lisa → take → market
When we meet her, she is one of the world's most famous women, with millions of record sales and brand deals with Louis Vuitton and Bvlgari.
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she → meet → Vuitton
But she is trapped by a K-pop system that forbids her from drinking alcohol and having adult relationships.
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that → trap → relationships
"I don't want my dating to be the thing to hurt Blackpink's popularity," she says in the film.
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she → want → film
"But when I turned 25, I realised that this is not how you're supposed to live your life.
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you → turn → life
As a result, Lisa makes an early decision to cut ties with Korean entertainment company YG, who discovered her as a teenager, and signs a new deal with RCA Records in the US.
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who → make → US
"Knowing her as I do, that took an immense amount of courage," says Kim.
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Kim → know → courage
"In general, she is a very kind, sweet person - and sometimes personalities like that, they don't want to rock the boat.
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they → want → boat
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
