By Aliex Billington @filmfirstrevie2
The year was 1993. The place was a soundstage in Los Angeles where the talent show STAR SEARCH was being taped. There was an electric atmosphere as four pre-teen girls (which included the young Beyonce Knowles) took to the stage with passion, excitement and the name “Girls Tyme”. Offstage, a woman stood with a beaming smile watching “her girls” give an impressively polished and energetic performance.
The woman watching just offstage with the beaming smile? That would be Andretta Tillman – the woman behind “Girls Tyme”. A woman who has remained a relative unknown…until now. GIRLS TYME: MAKING A CHILD OF DESTINY is a documentary designed to highlight and credit an extraordinary woman who faced intense tragedy and personal illness and still built an important legacy that deeply impacted the lives of those close to her.
Andretta Tillman – or “Miss Ann” as everyone refers to her (a sign of genuine respect) – was indeed an inspiring mentoring figure. After losing her husband and daughter in a horrific car accident and battling lupus, Miss Ann channels her energy into creating musical success stories for the local young folks. She teaches them discipline, performance and even business acumen, culminating in her Beyonce-led “Girls Tyme” band competing on national television’s Star Search. Although they lost that round to the much older, all-male rock bank “Skeleton Crew”, “Girls Tyme” lays the groundwork to eventually morph by 1997 into one of the most popular music groups ever: Destiny’s Child.
In the end, I was moved by the testimonials of all the people Andretta Tillman inspired as well as her life’s story. Andretta Tillman’s life was certainly one that was well-lived and worthy of aspiration… If you are a fan of Beyonce and Destiny’s Child this is a must see.
The movies gets 3.5 stars out of 5.0