Like a Prayer: A Documentary Film

Every once in a while you are confronted with something that alters your perspective and changes a fundamental understanding that you have. This film does just that on the surface it is a documentary about the fans of superstar Madonna .Like a prayer goes so much deeper than that and even for someone like me who is not that much of a Madonna fan it captivated me for the entire length of the film. Like a prayer the title of an early Madonna song begins off slowly and builds . The film is actually a celebration of the lives and hopes and dreams of a select group of what I call super fans who go to extreme lengths to follow Madonna on her world tours.It delves into their lives in almost surgical detail yet never loses their humanity in the introspection it provides. This film is the first effort of director Oxana Nabokova a native of Siberia Russia who came here with next to nothing except her dreams. Oxana had cut her teeth in film as a news broadcaster in her native home. For someone or for that matter anyone to put together a feature length film and have it shown without major backing is nothing short of a miracle and documentaries are notoriously hard to bring to the big screen. Oxana is also a major fan and she is as talented as she is beautiful and beating within her is a heart that I know will propel her to do great things . Go see this film if you get a chance you will be glad you did.

"Like a Prayer: A Documentary Film" is a very uplifting, amateur film about Madonna's fans. I never seen anything like this. It is definitely very unique story about people's life. There was a moments when I was crying, and laughing, and wanted to be Madonna's fan. Is worth it to watch it and to feel this experience.

I saw this film with my husband at a special screening in Times Square. It so inspiring to watch all the stories and I felt extremely moved by the overall theme connecting them all, to follow your dreams. My husband doesn't share my passion for Madonna but loved watching this film with me all the same! He now understands Madonna better after watching the film and now understands why so many people are inspired by her work and message. It brought us closer together, because he understands my personal journey through the eyes of the people in this film. The stories were heartfelt and took you on a wild ride, It had us laughing then crying, it even had elements of surprise and suspense! I have to recognize the efforts of Oxana, DJ Jene and everyone involved in creating this film, it must have been hard work to put this all together and the efforts made are remarkably commendable! Definitely recommended to every and all Madonna fan, and hopefully they get the share the joy with a loved one like I did!

This documentary is based on real life Madonna's fans stories. Each fan story is unique and touching with a different type of message- from understanding and supportive husband to passionate and admirable fans. Yet, all of the stories have the same message, that in one way or another, these portrayed Madonna's fans have been motivated to become a better person-a better version of themselves because of their idol's influence. There are a lot people who can't understand why would someone worship an artist like Madonna or would like to go above and beyond to see her in concert or to be close to her. The truth of the matter is that there's no one like the Queen-Madonna, if you really know her story-how she started when she moved from Detroit Michigan to New York. If was not an easy ride for her-like it wasn't for the fans presented on this Like a Prayer documentary. Madonna is an icon and many people just see her as a controversial artist. The Like a Prayer Documentary Madonna's fans see Madonna beyond an artist/singer/performer, they see her as someone to look up to and to be inspired by. That's why they loved her so much and want to be close to her whenever the opportunity presents. When you hear the stories, if you are a true-fan, you can relate; or if you are a family member, you can see the whole picture. I can relate to a couple of the stories because when I first started liking Madonna, I didn't speak and understand much English and had to look up for the meaning of the words of her songs. If I look back, I can see how Madonna has influenced my life for the best. Many people don't understand what is like to be passionate about Madonna and want to see her in concert and collect her CDs, magazines, posters, etc. and get excited whenever a new product-either CD, concert, life performance, and movie comes out. Oksana Nabokova-the Director/writer and Jennie have done a phenomenal job putting this documentary together. It has been a long process, but I can see this having a potential of having more Madonna's fan real life stories added to it, brought up to the big screens, and even become a Netflix series. Thank you so much for your effort and time put into putting this masterpiece together. I highly recommend anyone that is Madonna fan, family member of a Madonna fan or fan of another type of artist to watch this documentary because it's touching, real, and well put together.

A very heartfelt documentary which is clearly a labour of love from all the contributors. It made me laugh out loud, cry happy tears, and feel proud to be a Madonna fan.

All the stories are real, relatable, and full of life. The journey of making this film is amazingly inspiring. Considering this is her first feature documentary, the director did a wonderful job, especially the coherent editing. Hope this one will be shown at many Documentary Film Festivals.