Let me begin with similarities between the two documentaries before I delve into the style of each one.
Both documentaries presented the same information regarding the general idea of what lead to the Fyre Festival's existence, and the many responsibilities that were ignored in order to make this music festival an ultimate disaster. They both had a majority of the same people who were heavily involved in the making of this incredible catastrophe. And finally, both films had the details regarding all of the times Billy McFarland had lied to people continuously, not only leading up to the festival but even during it. Both documentaries spill tea, but there are some differences that make each stand out from one another while telling the same story.
The biggest difference between both of the documentaries is the tone, both capture completely opposing tones throughout their film.
"Fyre," the documentary by Netflix, had a very serious tone and really made you feel some type of way. This was the one I watched first and it really spilled all the tea not only about what happened in order to make Fyre somewhat of a possibility but also about all the lives that were affected by this, specifically all of the unpaid workers who were interviewed in the film so the perspective and the words really touch you.
There were times where I was very glassy-eyed during this one, it tells you the real sh** and you can literally feel a wave of emotions through your television screen. It felt very raw and truly got your jaw dropping the way they presented the story, I personally thought the interviews for this one were juicier than, "Fyre Fraud," over at Hulu, but we'll get to that in a second. Netflix's documentary was more about the people who were involved and being transparent about how awful McFarland is as a human being.
Hulu's "Fyre Fraud," has a completely different vibe. GAMESPOT describes this film as perfectly as the Cliffnotes version of the festival. So if you don't really care about the thoughts and feelings, this just spits facts and gives you the straightforward run-down of what happened.
This also has a very comedic tone especially with how the timeline jumps around, the musical transitions, and even the way the interviewees respond. It was as if the director was mocking all the people who can afford to go to something as insane as the Fyre Festival and be disappointed when arriving. Instead of having emotional subjects to be interviewed, they had a lot of text and proof pasted throughout the film which really reminded me of the documentary, "Inside Job," with how they cited literally all the dirt they found.
One big thing that Hulu has over Netflix on this documentary rivalry is that Hulu managed to get interviews with Billy McFarland himself, and you can see him stumble and resist to answer some questions which really drives you crazy and makes you want to punch him for being a snobby sociopath.
I personally liked the Netflix version more because I thought Hulu's just lacked the aspect of lives that were affected and relationships that were broken throughout the process of Fyre Festival. If you have no idea what this is, please do yourself a favor and watch one of these then try and hold yourself back from punching Billy in the face. This festival truly engulfs how today's day and age is affected by media and how powerful it can be - really opens your eyes.
