Maya Arulpragasam, better known as M.I.A., is a global superstar. But this is not the big-budget, glossy pop doc that you might expect. Instead, director Steve Loveridge launches this profile with the deeply personal, diary-esque videos Maya made of herself, first solo as a teen and then with Steve while the two were in art school together. Gathering footage over a period of six years, Loveridge painstakingly constructed this personal epic, revealing her family’s radical history — her dad founded the militant rebel group the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka — and her political and musical provocations. If you feel you know the real M.I.A., this riotous, contentious collaboration between director and subject — lifelong friends — will open your eyes. And for those meeting her for the first time, hang on for a wild ride. (DW)