Being the central figure of an online scandal
The documentary examines the experiences of Lisa Manobal, a quarter of the globally renowned K-pop group Blackpink and a breakout star of the series The White Lotus.
The film documents a developing controversy, revealing leaked footage in which Blackpink employed racial slurs during their teenage training as K-pop trainees.
The footage, released last year, captured the group rehearsing covers of American rap songs, with explicit language, including the n‑word, left uncensored.
The controversy intensified while Lisa prepared for a high‑profile performance at the 2025 Coachella Festival.
Fans, outraged by the incident, called for an apology, but the label prohibited the members from making any public statement.
In crisis, documentarian Sue Kim followed Lisa into her dressing room.
“I told her, ‘I know this is new, you’re confused and hurt, but now is your chance to say whatever you feel, even if you’re just processing your thoughts and sharing your emotions,’ Kim explained to the BBC.”
The filmmaker honestly expected her to decline.
Instead, Lisa lay on a sofa and spoke from the heart.
“It’s bad,” the singer admits in the documentary, blending shame and nervousness.
Lisa explained that she was 15 or 16 when the videos were recorded, noting that she didn’t realize the word’s sensitivity because she is from Thailand and English is not her first language.
“Now I would never do that again, because I’ve learned and now I know better,” she said.
“But I did wrong.”
(Lisa later apologized publicly, external in an interview with Variety, though some people remained unconvinced, external).
Kim said that Lisa’s in-the-moment reaction is “one of the most important scenes” in her documentary, Always Lalisa, slated for cinema release on Monday, 12 October.
“There was no premeditation on Lisa’s part, and no media training,” she adds.
“I asked her a single question, and she spoke for an hour, letting everything flow in a stream of consciousness.”
“What you witness with Lisa in that moment is so genuine that it’s impossible not to feel compassion for her.”