Parents' Guide to Louis Tomlinson: All of Those Voices

For fans of One Direction, picking out a band member and getting to spend a feature-length documentary with them rather than a few snippets on social media is always going to be a great pull. For fans of Tomlinson in particular, who was sometimes overlooked next to more vocal bandmates, Louis Tomlinson: All of Those Voices is an opportunity to witness the birth of a solo career that isn't as candy-coated as his X-Factor journey. Here, viewers are presented with multiple sides to the pop star: the fun-loving, laddish guy who chain-smokes through most of the interviews and is quick to raise a glass with his band backstage, the more vulnerable family man still very close to those he grew up with as well as his young son, and the artist being very honest about his struggle to find his place and his confidence in becoming an individual, rather than a fifth of a whole. From the early days, he finds ways to adapt and move forward, taking the helplessness of being cut from songs and developing a sense of control in writing and becoming the member with most credits in that area. He does a similar thing with other setbacks in his career. He takes a minute to restock, recharge, and move forward. A resilience he learned from his late mother and the love and support of his family beyond.

The film charts the break from the band, which "hit him like a brick" through to his first number one album and a successful tour playing to 30,000. It's the more vulnerable behind-the-scenes moments that are the real gems here though. Tomlinson playing with his young son on the beach, his grandfather breaking down when talking about his strength, and the camaraderie he finds with his new backup band on tour. The slightly longer runtime and what becomes repetitive concert footage may be a little too much for those less invested, but there's more than enough here to make this a hit with his sizable fanbase as Tomlinson authentically finds his own direction.