Miley Cyrus has a knack for making people uncomfortable just as they’re starting to get comfortable with her. It's her superpower. In the summer of 2025, she dropped a project that left half her fanbase breathless and the other half scratching their heads in the lobby of the Beacon Theatre. This wasn't a traditional concert doc or a "behind the scenes" peek at her life.
The miley cyrus something beautiful film is a 55-minute "pop opera" that feels more like a fever dream directed by a high-fashion occultist than a standard movie. Honestly, if you went in expecting Endless Summer Vacation vibes, you were probably startled.
Why miley cyrus something beautiful film Isn't Just a Music Video
Look, we’ve seen visual albums before. Beyoncé basically owns the genre. But Miley did something weirder here. She teamed up with Panos Cosmatos—the guy who directed Mandy—and you can see his fingerprints all over the grainy, neon-soaked texture of the film.
It’s divided into three acts. There is zero plot. Seriously. If you’re looking for a beginning, middle, and end, you’re going to be disappointed. Instead, it’s a series of vignettes that flow together like a stream of consciousness. You have Miley crawling across the Hollywood Walk of Fame in "Walk of Fame" and then suddenly she’s going head-to-head with Naomi Campbell.
The Vision Behind the Chaos
Miley calls this her "dream project." She famously told Zane Lowe that this film was her "way of touring" without actually having to get on a bus and deal with the road. It’s an intimate, albeit terrifyingly loud, experience.
- Cinematography: Shot by Benoît Debie, the guy who did Spring Breakers. Everything looks like it's dripping in sweat and glitter.
- Sound: Mixed by Alan Meyerson, who worked on Dune. When you watch this in a theater (if you caught the one-night-only June 12th screening), the bass literally shakes your teeth.
- Themes: It's about healing, but not the "journaling in a park" kind of healing. It's the "screaming into a storm" kind.
The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival in June 2025. Fun fact: fans actually heckled her because they thought it was a concert. Imagine paying $800 for a ticket and realizing you’re just sitting in a dark room watching a screen. Miley, being Miley, didn't back down. She wants you to look, not just listen.
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Breaking Down the Acts
The structure is loose. Really loose.
Act One starts with poetry. Miley’s voice has that gravelly, aged-whiskey quality we’ve come to love. She talks about "small pieces of beauty." Then the stage she’s performing on literally explodes. It sets the tone: beauty is destructive.
Act Two gets more surreal. This is where the Maxx Morando cameo happens. He’s playing drums while Miley sings "End of the World." It’s a moment of genuine vulnerability buried inside a massive production. There’s a lot of black and white, heavy shadows, and avant-garde fashion that looks like it belongs in a museum in 2070.
Act Three is the rebirth. By the time we get to "Every Girl You've Ever Loved," featuring Naomi Campbell, the film shifts into high-concept fashion territory. It’s celebratory but still carries that heavy, psychedelic weight.
The Controversy and the "Pop Opera" Label
People hate the term "pop opera." It sounds pretentious. And maybe it is. But for Miley, the miley cyrus something beautiful film was about breaking the cycle of being a "hit-maker." She wasn't chasing a "Flowers" 2.0.
Critics were split. The Guardian famously called it "as psychedelic as a baked potato." Ouch. But others saw it as a bold rejection of the Spotify-era "visualizer" trend. It’s too long for TikTok and too weird for basic radio. That’s exactly why it matters.
- It proved she doesn't need a traditional tour to move the needle.
- It cemented her transition from "pop star" to "multi-media artist."
- It gave us a collaboration with Brittany Howard that we didn't know we needed.
Where to Find It Now
If you missed the theatrical run, don’t worry. The film hit Disney+ and Hulu on July 16, 2025. It’s the best way to watch it, honestly. You can pause, look at the insane costume designs by Bradley Kenneth, and actually digest the lyrics without a 15-year-old screaming in the seat next to you.
As of early 2026, Miley has moved on to other things—like her award-winning work on the Avatar: Fire and Ash soundtrack—but this film remains a weird, beautiful monolith in her career. It’s the bridge between her past as a child star and her future as a legitimate auteur.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Watch with headphones: The Alan Meyerson mix is incredible. You lose 50% of the experience through laptop speakers.
- Don't look for a story: Approach it like a gallery visit. Each song is a painting.
- Check the credits: The list of collaborators (from Shawn Everett to Panos Cosmatos) is a "who's who" of alternative cool. It explains why the film feels so different from her previous work.