By: Randi Locke
It is never an easy feat to tell the story of someone as mysterious as Donna Summer. The woman known for her power anthem “She works hard” along with her sultry disco hits such as “love to love you” is an enigma to most. However, Director/filmmaker Roger Ross Williams and Brooklyn Sudano, Donna Summer’s daughter, handles it with the utmost care. By using found footage, interviews, and home videos of the late singer fans are invited into her world. I finished the documentary looking at Donna Summer as a true artist. Every piece of work she created was done so with intention. Whether it was the intention to sell her character or capture the world in which she lived, her talent was so big it almost ate at her. Stating that “When I dreamt about fame, I only dreamt about singing on stage.” She never anticipated the life she would lead once she began her career. Here were a few details that stood out to me.
“I have a secret life. You’re looking at me but what you see is not what I am.”
Her sultry personality on stage was an act. She was asked if she wanted to do playboy while she was still performing in Germany and she refused. Casablanca management had first introduced her as “the first lady of love”. The Casablanca team brought her back to America and dressed her in some of the finest clothes to make her look like she had already arrived. Her sister Mary stated that she would craft her performances as though she was telling a story. Making herself out to be a heroine onstage overcoming a problem. Her theatrical nature on stage can be credited to her acting in the German production of Hair in the early seventies. Stating that “When I am singing, I am not trying to be me.”
“I was never that maternal. I never thought I would actually have kids until I had one.”
One of the first clips of the documentary was her daughter Brooklyn saying that their mother was a private and secret woman. In fact, her daughter Brooklyn said she did not hear her mother’s song “Love to love you” until middle school. What I found so fascinating about this was that despite being an iconic singer she never shared that side of herself with her two youngest children. Her younger daughter’s experience was a stark contrast to her oldest daughter Mimi. Until Mimi was 12, she lived with Donna’s parents in Boston after Donna divorced her first husband, Helmuth Sommer, when Mimi was two years old. Mimi recalled sleeping in the studios when her mother would record late at night. When Donna would visit Mimi, Mimi would recall how tired her mother looked after playing with her all day. Donna would always acknowledge how she had to leave Mimi with her parents. She even wrote a song just for her called Mimi’s song. When Donna had her two younger children, she began to make family more of a priority. Making a clear separation between fame and family.
“The most dismal days of my existence were at the height of my career.”
During the height of her career Donna tried to end her life. She put her foot out the window with the intent to jump out but was caught in time by her housekeeper. She was constantly working and making hits, but she was lonely, and that isolation tore at her. Though she had family they were thousands of miles back home in Boston. Instead of turning to substances to fill the void, she ended up in volatile relationships. Stating that she tended to fall for bad men. One of her partners abused her so badly she ended up in the hospital with a broken rib. After this, her sisters accompanied her on tour as background singers.
“Three years ago, I dedicated my life to Jesus Christ”
Donna Summer grew up in the church and was influenced by gospel singers such as Mahalia Jackson. Her view on Christianity was changed when she was sexually assaulted by her pastor. This event changed her outlook and made her a more private person. Later on in her career she rediscovered her faith and became a born-again Christian. Though Bruce remarked that this did benefit Donna some of the beliefs she had were harmful to her image. At one of her concerts, she made the homophobic remark “It’s Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve”. This caused her LGBTQ fan base to boycott her music and led to a rumor that she said AIDS was a punishment from God. Though Donna made an official statement dismissing the claim, this caused lasting damage to her reputation.
Donna’s life was rich, but it was not one that is enviable. Despite her amazing talent and success, she could never fully be herself. Whether it was her sultry on-stage persona, or not sharing her full self with her family, Donna was never vulnerable. One of the moments that stuck with me the most was how much her own family wanted to know her. Bruce said that Donna did not understand how much he loved her until her last days. Followed by Mimi saying that their mother did not know how to be vulnerable with them. Although her passing was twelve years ago. You can tell that the family never fully healed. Thus, fueling the fans and her family’s quest to continue to piece together who Donna Summer truly was.
