I am hesitant to write about the documentary BTS ARMY: Forever We Are Young, directed by Grace Lee and Patty Ahn, because I know that BTS ARMY (Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth) is very protective of the global K-pop supergroup phenomenon. One wrong word about their beloved BTS, and I may be in trouble. At the same time, I’m wildly fascinated with any fandom on an anthropological level.
The doc, which originally premiered at SXSW earlier this year, is equal parts fascinating, endearing, and disturbing, delivering a diverse array of stories from all over the globe that are unbelievably heartwarming and literally lifesaving. Forever We Are Young also spotlights how ARMY positioned themselves in many ways as a social movement, taking fandom to a whole new level. The documentary is also an examination of the modern-day, tech-driven parasocial relationship.
My knowledge of BTS is very limited. The extent didn’t go beyond RM rapping on Megan Thee Stallion’s track, “Neva Play”.
I am the perfect person to watch this documentary because I have no bias (no pun intended).
That said, I learned a lot about Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook in about 90 minutes.
I learned that “BTS” was an acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”. I learned that they weren’t very popular in Korea at first and that their first performance in the United States was in West Hollywood at the iconic Troubadour in Los Angeles. I learned more terms ARMY uses, like “OT7”, which translates to “One True 7”, meaning you love all 7 members of the band equally, as opposed to having a bias (your fave member). I learned that Dumbfoundead’s bias is RM. I also learned that “Blood, Sweat and Tears” was a huge turning point for the boys. It was their “I’m a Slave 4 U” moment. It was their sexual awakening.
The documentary is built around a roster of fans who show the commitment they have when it comes to BTS. When they were a relatively unknown K-pop group, they garnered a huge online following with their YouTube channel — and many of their fans were in the U.S.
Bookended by early adopter ARMY member Kaitlyn (who was at the Troubadour show!), the documentary does a fantastic job of giving us a prismatic spectrum of ARMY from all over the globe that have been impacted by BTS in one way or another. There are other early adopters like home schooled Mhia who was a fan of their YouTube channel from back in the day; Deidre from Mexico City who cites BTS’s album Wings the most important thing to her; and Norman who learned to live his authentic gay life after listening to BTS’s rebellious lyrics, and the WHATCHAGOT2SAY guys, an unlikely trio that reacts to BTS videos.
When I say the documentary is “disturbing”, I say that with my tongue in my cheek. I find any fandom disturbing. Haven’t you seen Misery? Or listened to Eminem’s song “Stan”?
However, ARMY has an exceptional dedication BTS. I admire their commitment and their undying love to the K-pop band. Who am I to take away their joy? Especially in the times we are living in. One thing I admire most about ARMY is how they mobilize, strategize, and organize — which is great! They have done some amazing things with their platform.
ARMY knows how raise BTS up in many ways. As seen in the video above, they knew how to get them to the top of the charts and even win them a Billboard music award. They can also get ARMY to attack even the biggest monsters: they disrupted a Tr**p rally.
It’s when fandom becomes weaponized and the parasocial aspect of fandom turns into possessive ownership. When a fan polices the way you interact with their favorite artist. It’s no longer fandom. It’s scary. It just doesn’t happen with BTS. It happens with other artists like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, etc. But with BTS, it hits different. It splinters the parasocial paradigm and what could be interesting is seeing the underbelly of this fandom — but that would be a totally different documentary.
It’s no secret that ARMY has had publicized moments of fans behaving badly. There was a time when they came for Charlie Puth, and there have been fans who said they have experienced racism within the ranks of ARMY. The documentary touches on the toxic fandom, which is equated to when BTS went more mainstream with their first English-language song “Dynamite”. DKDKTV YouTubers David Kim and Danny Kim were also attacked by ARMY when they said something that didn’t vibe with them.
Watching BTS ARMY: Forever We Are Young was like being a fly on the wall at a party with a bunch of BTS fans. I felt like I had no place in this world but morbidly curious about it. It is a Christopher Guest film dying to be made. I understand the appeal of BTS. It is unlike like the era of The Beatles, The Jackson 5, New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, or One Direction. This is a whole different animal because BTS was created during the oversaturate age of social media on a global scale. BTS is the next — and possible final — evolution of the boy band.
The doc captures that from the wholesome fan side, and it is essentially a love letter from the fans. Beyond that, Forever We Are Young doesn’t uncover anything terribly new about the K-pop boy band sensation that can’t be found on an ARMY-created Wiki.
In the final moments of the documentary, we see ARMY from all over the world gather ceremoniously in front of screens to see BTS member Jin complete his mandatory service. It cuts to ARMY at BTS Festa, an event that celebrates their debut anniversary with ARMY. One by one, we hear fans talk about what BTS means to them, and it’s heartwarming… but once in a while, you’ll see that glint in one of their eyes that looks like Annie Wilkes from Misery.
