"An appropriately collage-like work that channels its subject's eclectic mash-up style, documentary 'Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.' offers a well-rounded portrait of rapper/artist/activist M.I.A. Born Mathangi Arulpragasam, aka Maya, she is perhaps best known for her song 'Paper Planes'." (The Hollywood Reporter)
"Loveridge's movie is a fantastic and kinetic fulfillment of Maya Arulpragasam's desire to be heard as more than an entertainer. Starting with her 2004 debut, M.I.A. beat an aesthetically game-changing and controversy-strewn path across pop culture, broadcasting her backstory as a Tamil revolutionary's refugee daughter who was trained in London art school and steeped in U.S. hip-hop. Her early aspiration of becoming a documentary filmmaker means Loveridge has a trove of electrifying pre- and post-fame footage to work with, which he uses for a smart, lively investigation of M.I.A.'s own vital themes: the lives of immigrants worldwide, the plight of the Sri Lankan people, and the question of whether pop stars can make effective political activists." (The Atlantic)
