Netflix Just Released Beyonce's Documentary And Here Are The Best Twitter Reactions

Plain white letters appear on a black screen: “If you surrender to the air, you can ride it.” The citation, although slightly modified, is from the last paragraph of Toni Morrison’s novel Song of Solomon and kicks off Beyoncé's long-awaited concert documentary 'Homecoming.' The film was released Wednesday on Netflix and pretty much broke the internet, which is no surprise because, as with everything she does, the film is an artistic triumph. The cinematic project features the singer's performance from Coachella and begins with one of her marching band members beating a drum while fiercely staring at the camera as if setting the mood for the upcoming surreal 2-hour experience. She blows a whistle and the camera pans to a familiar figure dressed in a dazzling and regal costume. Nefertiti of the New Age turns around and strolls down the runway radiating confidence. The crowd goes wild. Queen Bey has arrived.

The concert film – which aired on Netflix – was written, executive-produced and directed by the singer. True fans already know that Beyoncé is a perfectionist and is very hands-on and detail-oriented on every single project that she does - and which viewers get a firsthand account of just how much with behind the scenes footage. “I respect things that take work. I respect things that are built from the ground up. I’m super specific about every detail,” she says. “I personally selected each dancer, every light, the material on the steps, the height of the pyramid, the shape of the pyramid. Every patch was hand-sewn. Every tiny detail had an intention,” the performer says in her voice over. These concert intermissions feature grainy black and white footage of the rehearsals behind the festival. In them, we learn about the struggles the singer went through to bring her complex vision to life.

Homecoming was groundbreaking in more ways than one. Beyoncé was the first African-American woman to headline the festival and she took the opportunity to pay tribute to the culture with so many artistic nuances we were speechless. The performance was an homage to historically black colleges and universities from the band to the J-dancers to the stepping. A bright, joyous and colorful celebration of the African-American culture, the queen wanted black people to feel proud while educating other viewers from all cultural backgrounds on the vibrancy of her people. Beyoncé's mom Tina Knowles-Lawson had expressed to her daughter she was afraid people wouldn't understand the concept of - her response? “She said that her hope is that after the show young people would research this culture and see how cool it is, and young people black and white would listen to ‘LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING and see how amazing the words are for us all and bridge the gap." The Homecoming theme also held another hidden meaning - it is celebrating Beyoncé's own homecoming to the stage after giving birth to twins in 2017.

All in all, Homecoming is a 2-hours long visually striking movie, orchestrated in a way that leaves the spectator in awe. The perfectly lined-up performance contrasts with touching and raw personal footage, while the voiceovers of the African-American cultural icons help to frame it all into an inspiring and even thought-provoking film. It is a festive and upbeat celebration of the strength and beauty of a black woman and her people, meant to inspire and lift in these uncertain times. We all know that Beyoncé never fails to put her finger on the pulse of society but this time, most people think that even she has outdone herself.

All jokes aside, though, Beyoncé has again given her fans what they wanted and a little bit more. Awe-inspiring performance, beautiful choreography, striking visuals and raw, personal material - what more could we possibly ask for? No wonder, the day the movie aired Netflix became Beyflex and Coachella - Beychella.