Admittedly, I had absolutely no idea who Lee Alexander McQueen was. Incredibly naive of me, but the fashion industry is one that remains undivulged. Suffice to say after watching this beautiful documentary, I now understand why McQueen was viewed by many as a fashion master. A young craftsman fulfilling his passion and becoming the best designer out there. Quite simply inspirational. Chronicling the various collections that McQueen designed, this documentary chronologically explores how his artistry evolved over time and how he brought through his personal life into his work. A young uneducated boy living in Stratford quickly utilises his entrepreneurial personality to pursue his hobby for tailoring. Starting off as an apprentice in Saville Row and rapidly working for Givenchy years later. His talent and skills were only possible through one fiery trait. Passion. What Bonhôte and Ettedgui's documentary does best is capture his expressive collections and relate them to his personal life. Take the "Highland Rape" collection for example. A controversial show that ensured McQueen made a statement to the world of fashion. Then there's "Voss" that, whilst technically excellent, conveyed his darker emotions. A manifestation of the sheer amount of work he put himself through that unfortunately, mixed with mental instabilities, lead to his early demise. The documentary allows you to connect with McQueen not by excessively exploring his early life, although some further development should've been included, but by viewing his work. The narrative is segmented by various tapes, each one indicating a collection and a turning point in McQueen's life. As the film progresses, his confidence increases and the garments become more extravagant as he explores various themes, such as "Plato's Atlantis" depicting the human anatomy through futuristic evolution. The greatest statement a fashion designer can make is conveying their personality through their work. And the passionate McQueen did that sublimely. A beautiful documentary.

Lee Alexander McQueen was a provocative British fashion designer whose fame rose in the 1990s. This documentary charts the highs and lows of his life.

The series of interviewees covers a wide area of McQueen's life. He had hurdles to pass (he was gay and from a working-class London background) to achieve a success he hadn't foreseen. For much of his successful career, he maintained a modest, average-guy appearance and outlook. His rise, downfall, and early ending are similar to that of another Brit of working-class background: Amy Winehouse whose story was covered in the superb doc "Amy" (2015).

"McQueen" is a rather good film that might have been better. It seems distant at times and goes just barely above the surface when it might have probed more about the man in particular and mental illness in general. Then, there are the fashion shows.

To those of us who are non-fashion aficionados, the level of interest may be limited. The shows and the clothes are deliberately unconventional and shocking - the main claim to fame for McQueen. They were like alternative theatre. The footage exposed in the film certainly is fascinating to a point. The trouble is that they are repetitive. Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui might have found more creative ways to expose the fashion show footage to keep the content interesting.

While the film veers toward a less-than-stellar direction, it is thankfully revived in the last segment around the sad end of McQueen's life. Here, Bonhôte and Ettedgui do a fine job in expressing the grief, loss, reflections, and insights of those left behind. This section makes "McQueen" worthwhile. - dbamateurcritic

Closest to docufiction, consisting of mainly documentary material combined with certain scripted narratives, dividing title character's life in well-defined chapters, fictionally captured on "tapes", British production "McQueen" (2018),directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, gives an all-inclusive, many personal perspective (from a wide-range of people interviewed) look at the life and extraordinary talent, propelling sometimes controversial, ultimately, artistically and business-wise unprecedented career of the enfant terrible of fashion, Lee Alexander McQueen. From among those who were lucky enough to have spent time with him, and close enough to have had their lives touched by his clearly inspirational and motivating presence, many have contributed a word and shared their memories here: from his family members (mother, sister, nephew),partners, teachers, employers and employees, sponsors and promoters, fashion reviewers, colleagues and models. All comments together, organized in thematical chapters, "tapes" covering distinct periods of his life, create a comprehensive and rather impressive portrait of an extraordinary individual, from his humble beginnings, his meteorite success in launching and supervising his eponymous line, providing his conceptual and designing skills and artistry to numerous collections and dramatized fashion shows, all the way to his premature death.

I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of fashion: just an occasional spectator, even less frequent follower, if at all. Yet, this documentary caught my attention from the get-go, and kept it on high till the end. I learned a lot and started to appreciate.

In short, this is a skillful and insightful, an exciting and poignant documentary about someone who was in the public eye ever since his middle twenties, therefore easily leaving behind lots of personal footage from both, his professional activities (running in parallel his own line of fashion clothes production and organizing shows for other fashion houses) and his private life (exposed and discussed in numerous interviews along the way) about his alluring, intensively creative and, therefore, despite being cut short, very productive life.

As one of the interviewees summarized on McQueen and his growing charisma, they don't make them like this anymore.

By the way, quite deservedly, and indicative for its quality and attraction, film won a popular vote, Audience Vote Best Feature Film, at the latest, 18th edition of Beirut International Film Festival, 22-28 April 2019.