- 9 Muses of Star Empire
In reviewing titles for the upcoming Chicago International Music and Movies Festival, I recently watched the documentary 9 Muses of Star Empire, a behind-the-scenes look at a Korean girl group called the 9 Muses. (It screens on the afternoon of Sunday, May 4, at the Logan Theatre.) The movie acknowledges up front that the group (and many others like it) are handled essentially like commodities, with managers and studio executives determining how these young women look, how they interact with others, and even how they spend their free time. These handlers are merciless, critiquing every last detail of the group’s public appearances and blaming the singers for every flaw (even those of the songs, which were written by other people). In the movie’s most shocking episode, the young women are forced to perform live just two days after their tour van gets into a serious accident and some of the women require hospitalization. In the course of 9 Muses, a few of the singers suffer emotional breakdowns and quit the group, making one worry for those who remain.
