What I learnt from watching Betterman

A few days ago we finally watched Betterman, the much talked about Robbie Williams biopic charting his rise to fame.

What really struck me about the movie, aside from the raw honesty and his deep need for his father’s love and validation, was his complete loss of identity at the time his fame rose - how he lost himself and lost sight of who he was, what he wanted from life and what success actually meant to him.

In his quest for meaning and identity he sacrificed everything to become what he thought people wanted him to be.

At the root of so many of his demons lay a deep sense of fear.

Fear of not being enough.

Fear of being “outed” as an imposter.

Fear of being seen as ordinary and not special.

Fear of being been seen at all.

This fear took such a deep hold and led to so many insecurities that it manifested in the cocky, over-confident behaviour the public saw; his desperate need to escape the demons driving him to drink and drugs.

Having hit rock bottom, with nowhere left to fall, we witness him finally taking responsibility for his life, entering rehab and therapy, finally accepting who he is and who he came here to be.

His story represents so many of our stories.

The struggle to know ourselves.

The fight to be seen for who we are.

The desire to build something real, memorable and respected – a legacy that lives beyond our time here on Earth.

Our need to be loved.

Thank you Robbie for sharing your story, and for becoming a Betterman.