In conjunction with his new releases, the Netflix documentary, “Shawn Mendes: In Wonder,” takes you through the life of singer Shawn Mendes leading up to this year. Released on Mon. Nov. 23, the 22-year old Canadian star offers viewers the behind-the-scenes view of his life, as he rises to stardom.

The documentary starts with a flashback to when Mendes was just growing up in Pickering, Ontario. The old footage shoots back to some of Mendes’ first performances where he was still a new and upcoming singer. He talks about how he got started with singing, and how his passion for becoming a singer has always dated back to when he was young.

The majority of the film was live footage from his 2019 World Tour. Mendes spotlighted his South America section of the tour and how he had to cancel his show in Brazil due to health concerns. Doctor visits and vocal warm-ups were common aspects of his life that occurred more often than fans think. One of the major things I learned about Mendes from this documentary is how worried he is about actually losing his voice one day.

A big point that he made is the importance of support from the three f’s: family, friends, and fans. From the start, he talks about how his family and friends have always supported him to go and pursue his dreams even if it felt fairly impossible.

Another person who gets mentioned multiple times in the film is his partner, Camila Cabello. Admitting in the documentary, “Yeah, it’s about you. Everything’s about you. They’ve always been about you.” Mendes talks about how he first met singer-songwriter, Cabello, and how she is the inspiration to most of his songs.

Most importantly he expresses his gratefulness to his fans. He did it multiple times but one of the most heartwarming moments was during his Brazil show when he gives his perspective on how surprised he was that fans were still supporting him even though he had to cancel his show.

Before watching the film, I knew absolutely nothing about Shawn Mendes. Some people who are bigger fans of him may rate it higher, but coming from the perspective of a person who doesn’t know much about him, I’d rate it a six out of ten. The reason I would rate it a six out of ten was that the documentary gives you the ultimate bare-minimum about his life. I feel like it could’ve been more in-depth, as you get the very tip of the iceberg when Mendes talks about his life and experiences, still there was enough information to keep you interested.

What I did like about the film was the message he was trying to convey or the message I thought he was trying to convey. To anyone that has big dreams of becoming an actor or singer, he reminds people that you don’t have to be born talented to be talented. He offers the support that he was given from his family and friends, to take action in pursuing your dreams instead of thinking about the reasons you can’t do it. Another thing I like was that the film was mainly about Mendes living a normal life. He reminds viewers that a celebrity as big as himself is really as normal as everyone else in the world.

The documentary was interesting and a call out to fans that he’s just getting started. I wouldn’t say it’s a must-watch, but if you are at home and are looking for a good documentary, this is definitely a good pick.