Stans: Eminem’s new documentary that lets his fans do the talking

Three days. Not one more. Eminem chose this formula to bring his new documentary Stans to theaters.

The film-event is available in Italy exclusively on August 7, 8 and 9. We saw it and we’re telling you about it here because it’s not your typical documentary: it’s a story about you, about us, about those who have always been there.

Stans: Eminem’s documentary that speaks to those who’ve always been there.

Always been there doesn’t necessarily mean since day one. Many Eminem fans were born after his debut. But it means being present at every important moment since you could be. It’s a concept of loyalty over time, toward an artist who has given so much to rap and built one of the most solid fanbases in existence.

At the London premiere, director Steven Leckart said he wanted to flip the way music documentaries are made. He wanted to do it differently, and he did. He did it by using the voices of those who know Marshall Mathers even without really knowing him: the fans. Stans, in fact, tells Eminem’s story through a series of interviews with his followers who explain what his music means in their lives.

The song Stan tells the story of a fan who loses control due to obsession and a parasocial relationship that crosses the line. The documentary, instead, takes that name and turns it around: it shows how the bond between an artist and their fans can also be genuine, deep and healthy. That said, it still stresses how important it is to set boundaries between the fan and the artist and how, sometimes, fans can be "too much".

What’s surprising is how the film retraces Eminem’s career without feeling like a timeline or a self-congratulatory tribute. Each album is told through what it left in people’s hearts, not by how many units it sold. The rapper appears and talks about addiction, Proof’s death, and the times when he didn’t know if he could put the pieces back together. He does it without trying to play the victim. He knows those moments were tough, but he also knows that fans lived through them with him.

Stans isn’t the usual documentary and, in fact, it doesn’t try to make Em more “acceptable” for casual listeners or those who don’t know him well. It doesn’t try to clean anything up for a general audience. It’s a story made by true fans for true fans, the ones who have always understood Eminem, even when it was uncomfortable for some people.

The real protagonist is the unique relationship between artist and audience. It’s what happens when an artist decides to hand the mic to those who’ve been listening all along and who understand what he has to say.

It’s been announced that the documentary will arrive on Paramount+ in the U.S. in the coming months, but it’s still unclear if, when, and on which platform it will be available for streaming in Italy and other countries.

You can watch the trailer for Stans below: