Lil Nas X Documentary: An Intimate Portrait of a Cultural Pioneer

Lil Nas X cuts an imposing figure. In a gold net tank top that shows off his ripped physique, ballooning brown parachute pants, sky-high heels, and 30-inches of ironed flat hair, even if he wasn’t making an entrance at the premiere of his documentary, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero at the Grammy Museum in DTLA, all eyes would still be drawn to him. The tallest person in the room and studded with bling, the Grammy Award-winning rapper’s outrageous yet flawless style makes him larger than life. This image is a great match for his record-breaking music, which resonates with his fans as much as it enrages his detractors. This version of Lil Nas X is a significant part of the documentary. Just as present in the film, however, is Montero Lamar Hill, the person behind the persona.

Shot in verité style, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero takes place during his 2022-2023 tour of the same name. Grammy-winning and Academy Award-nominated director Carlos López Estrada (Raya and the Last Dragon) and director Zac Manuel (Time), a Sundance favorite whose specialty is intimate portraits and Black masculinity, worked in tandem.

Considering how much of Lil Nas X’s communication is on social media – which even he himself admits in the film – it’s refreshing to have this kind of access to him. Lil Nas X’s most revealing moments come when he is speaking from his bed, his chest bare. But we also watch him vomit right before getting on stage, discuss scheduling his pre-show bowel movements, and agonize over whether he can handle wearing a super-short kilt and LGBTQIA+ Balenciaga T-shirt to greet his family.

Switching back and forth in time, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero has its share of flashbacks, but it isn’t an origin story. Much of his backstory is common knowledge. He is named after the Mistubishi Montero. He came out to the world at the height of the popularity of his breakout hit, “Old Town Road,” the reigning record holder for longest running Billboard Hot 100 No. 1. An absolute megastar, his rise was during the pandemic. He performed on some awards shows, but the Long Live Montero Tour was his first time ever playing in front of a concert audience—and the first time he experienced protestors outside the venues. He sent them pineapple pizza. When Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023, there was a bomb threat.

López Estrada originally worked with Sony Music on the conceptual side of the Long Live Montero Tour creating a theatrical presentation that also had a narrative element to it. As the show took shape, the decision was made to document the experience, not just as a concert film, but also from a personal aspect. Manuel was brought in to go behind-the-scenes, turning a personal lens on Lil Nas X. 

“There wasn’t a lot of pre-production or planning,” says Manuel. “I was documenting day-to-day, asking questions on the fly, trying to figure out what a potential story could be. If there was anything that felt narratively rich that I could latch onto, I would write a small treatment and send it off, see what they thought, jump back in and keep going.”

Despite this, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero not only comes across as pure cinema verité, but the subject himself seems like he’s 100% on board with the whole process. But, Manuel says that’s not how it started. “My process initially was pretty confrontational, but not in a bad way,” says Manuel. “I wanted to be less of a person who’s capturing his story as a filmmaker and more getting to know him.”

The directors worked with the editor of Beyoncé’s Homecoming and Renaissance, Andrew Morrow, who is an expert at storytelling through live performance and the elements that go into creation of a show. “[Morrow] was able to create narrative threads and connections,” says López Estrada. “After he got through it, it was elevated emotionally. He really crafted this film with us.”

The film has three acts: Rebirth, Transformation, and Becoming. There is a marked difference in the first act, which illustrates just how young Lil Nas X still is. The filming style has the feel of footage captured by a close friend on a flip phone camera. His vulnerability and insecurity are on full display, as is his fan status as he shows off a massive wall of photos in his home, his “pop culture collage,” and talks about fanboying over Viola Davis at Erewhon. In contrast, to quote one of his fans, “He’s very important for the culture right now.”

The second act exhibits a more official filming style. His family enters during this act, and with that, Lil Nas X’s discomfort about his sexuality around them escalates. This act also shows Lil Nas X’s rise including Madonna hamming for the cameras backstage at one of his shows. The show itself features fantastic set designs, elaborate and ornate, not unlike Louis XVI’s court. This is perhaps a nod to Madonna’s “Vogue” performance at the 1990 MTV Awards. López Estrada and Manuel admit that Madonna’s 1991 documentary, Truth or Dare, was an inspiration.