By Lena Potts

*This is one big spoiler.

I loved A Star Is Born. I saw it at midnight last night and cried a lot, had two distinct dreams about it, and have sent at least three Lady Gaga memes today. But for the past 14 hours, my head and my heart have been at odds- despite how it made me feel, A Star Is Born is a lie.

The movie wants to exist in a vacuum, concerning itself with its characters’ core humanity, and ignoring the social dynamics of their identities. It wants to be timeless, unbound by a present context, without gender or race or class, and relevant to all. On an emotional plane, it succeeds wildly. I was sitting there, sobbing, loving the very concept of love. But it’s hard to disregard the context of their love, who these characters are, and who they represent.

A Star Is Born wants to not be about a man’s power over a woman- who she is and who she can become. Her career comes as a gift; after so many men have told her “no”, one with kind eyes and contagious confidence says “yes”. Her talent is so real, but he gives her an audience even she argues she wouldn’t have otherwise had. And then, just as he built her up, he has the power to destroy her. He repeatedly interrupts or endangers her career, as well as her emotional well-being, ultimately posing such a threat that her manager moves to separate them. While Ally repeats that she won’t accept his destructive behavior, she does…