What was supposed to be an unforgettable luxurious trip in paradise almost two years ago, turned into complete anarchy and disarray. Due to poor planning, lies and relying on Instagram marketing, the infamous Fyre festival went down in flames. Recently, both Netflix and Hulu released documentaries on the inner workings of the festival. Might I add, at the same time nonetheless! I first stumbled upon the Netflix one right on the center homepage of my screen. And whatever Netflix suggests for me to watch, I do exactly that. I was immediately hooked by this insane story, and when I shortly found out Hulu had a documentary too — you guessed it — I watched it right away.
Note: this was all within the same day because how else does anyone spend their winter break.
At first I thought I’d basically be rewatching the same information I just learned, but both streaming sites took this topic in two different creative directions. So, I’m here to talk about what each documentary brought to the table and who reigns supreme.
Netflix:
The Netflix documentary, “Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened”, focuses more on the Fyre Festival itself. The people interviewed were mostly employees of the Fyre Festival and Fyre company. This gave an inside perspective of the inner workings and how it got to the point it did. Another big aspect of this documentary was it focuses on the downfalls that made the Fyre Festival what it was — which a lot had to do with the marketing plan. Their marketing plan was basically hiring famous models that strutted on a beach in the Bahamas. They used the illusion of Instagram to promote a festival that didn’t turn out to be the way they said it would. The vision was there, but the execution, well, not even close. What worked so well about this documentary was the story flowed effortlessly with the storyline being easy to follow. I also felt a lot of sympathy for the employees, citizens of the Bahamas who worked for the festival and even the millennial attendees. It really made you feel like you were there at the festival. The documentary was informative regarding the planning process and also took you on a journey that felt like you were experiencing the same emotions as everyone else.
Hulu:
So the Netflix documentary might have had a little advantage since I watched the Hulu documentary, Fyre Fraud, after. My frame of reference was set on the Netflix documentary. Had I watched Fyre Fraud first, then it probably would’ve been the opposite case. Hulu’s documentary was aesthetically different. While Netflix kept the tone of a typical documentary, Hulu had some creative music choices and remixed clips from pop culture. For example, at the end of the film, the juxtaposition of cheerful pop music to clips of the haphazard festival weekend gave it an unsettling cynical tone. This film definitely had a different tone than Netflix who chose the more traditional documentary route. Another major difference was the way the storyline flowed. Hulu focused on the scamming and, like the title says, literal fraud of it all. Hulu even interviewed the co-founder of the festival, Billy McFarland, which Netflix did not. Though his answers weren’t so compelling, it does reinforce the persona both documentaries give him. Most of the documentary was about him and his path as an entrepreneur. A lot of what led to the festival was shown on here, while Netflix had more details about running the actual festival. Again, this is a different perspective and take on the story. The facts may be the same in both documentaries, but you have one focusing on the scamming and the other on the effect it had on other people and society.
If you are subscribed to both Netflix and Hulu, I highly recommend watching both documentaries because they are so different from each other. You can get different perspectives on the story and see how these streaming sites edit everything to convey a certain message. Even though I had to watch both, I think the Netflix documentary might have a slight edge because it goes more in depth about the planning of the festival, how it rose to popularity and the actual event itself. When they got to the part of the actual festival, I started to feel like a fellow guest. On the other hand, Hulu gives more background information leading up to the festival and the fraud of it all. Whichever one is better is perhaps better up to personal opinion. So, if you haven’t gotten a chance to see it yet or need a new show to binge watch on a Saturday night, check out these documentaries and decide which portrays the Fyre Festival best.