Review: Billie Eilish concert film, 'Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour Live in 3D' captures the singer declaring her independence and taking her audience along

Seeing a concert film for an artist whose music you don’t know well becomes a case study in the mechanics of entertainment — and with “Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour Live in 3D,” those mechanics prove to be quite fascinating.

My familiarity with the 24-year-old Eilish was admittedly limited, mostly to the two songs that won Oscars for her and her brother Finneas: “No Time to Die” from the James Bond movie of the same name, and “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie.” As the movie went on, I recognized probably her most played single, “Bad Guy,” and that was it. I like the other songs in the set list, but what really struck me here was the stagecraft and what it represents.

On her “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour, Eilish performed in the round, on a massive rectangular stage whose floor featured the same kind of digital screens that also descended from the ceiling. And, in a departure from the massive productions of Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour or Beyonce’s “Renaissance” tour (both of which were captured in spectacular concert films), Eilish doesn’t go in for costume changes. At both shows filmed for this movie, in Phoenix, Arizona, and Manchester, England, Eilish wears the same outfit: An oversized t-shirt and basketball jersey (with the words “Hard and Soft” across the front), baggy men’s shorts, and sneakers.

In one of the movie’s interview segments, Eilish explains to her co-director and camera operator James Cameron (yes, that James Cameron) how her clothes are a choice, and an expression of her feminism. By dressing in a way that makes her comfortable, rather than in some body-hugging outfit, she’s telling her audience – mostly young women like herself and teens who want to be like her — that they can be who they are and be happy. And a rock star.

Seen in that light, and with a few snippets of fans explaining how Eilish’s music has sometimes literally saved their lives, “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour Live in 3D” is a celebration of acceptance. It captures Eilish doing exactly what she wants to do: Live her life, sing her songs, and hang out with 20,000 people who can sing them, too.

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‘Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour Live in 3D’

★★★1/2

Opens Friday, May 8, in theaters everywhere. Rated PG-13 for strong language, and suggestive references. Running time: 114 minutes.