A new documentary about Lisa Manobal, the Thailand-born member of K-pop group Blackpink, looks at what it was like for her when a race scandal erupted around the band. The film, titled Always Lalisa, captures an unfolding controversy over leaked videos that show Blackpink using racial slurs when the members were teenage trainees in the K-pop system.
The film hits cinemas on Monday, 12 October. Its director, Sue Kim, followed Lisa for a year as the singer launched a solo career during a break in Blackpink’s activities. The leaked clips emerged last year and showed the band covering US rap songs during rehearsals, with explicit language, including the n-word, left uncensored.
Lisa’s unscripted response to the leaked videos
The scandal broke while Lisa was rehearsing for a pivotal performance at the Coachella festival in 2025. Some fans demanded an apology, but the band’s record label barred the members from issuing a statement. Kim said Lisa’s team was in crisis mode when she asked the singer to speak freely on camera.
Kim said she had “honestly expected her to say no”. Instead, Lisa lay down on a sofa and spoke openly. “It’s bad,” she says in the film, with a mix of shame and nerves.
Lisa explains that she was “15 or 16” when the videos were shot and did not know the word was sensitive, because she is from Thailand and English is not her first language. She had only heard the term in rap music and did not understand its offensive history. She says she would never do that now, because she has learned better.
Lisa has since apologised publicly in an interview with Variety, although some people remained unconvinced. Kim describes the moment as “one of the most important scenes” in the documentary. “There was no premeditation on Lisa’s part, there was no media training,” she said.
Death threats and a break from YG Entertainment
The scandal overshadowed the planned launch of Lisa’s debut solo album, Alter Ego. The film shows her receiving death threats, yet she continued with public appearances while safety concerns weighed on her. “To a certain extent I have to take [criticism] and compromise,” she says, “but sometimes, it’s too much.”
The film’s main storyline follows Lisa as she steps away from K-pop to pursue crossover success in the Western music market. She decides to end her ties with YG, the Korean company that discovered her as a teenager, and signs with RCA Records in the US. Kim said the decision required courage, describing Lisa as a kind and sweet person who does not like to rock the boat.
The documentary was commissioned by the film division of Lisa’s record label, so it remains, in the article’s assessment, ultimately a marketing product. Even so, Kim says Lisa allowed almost total access. “When I showed her the film, she never asked me to remove a single scene. That’s exceptional,” Kim said.
Life on The White Lotus set
The documentary also covers Lisa’s acting debut in season three of the HBO drama The White Lotus, which was filmed on location in Thailand. She pursued a role in the series by self-taping an audition, and it won her the part of wellness coach Mook Sornsin.
The show’s executive producer described her off-set life in an interview. “Lisa threw more parties than anyone else,” the producer said, adding that the defining feature of a Lisa party was tequila shots. Kim did not join in the partying, and she said her crew were often falling sick while trying to keep up with Lisa’s schedule.
Return to Blackpink and the next phase of her career
The film ends in June 2025, when Lisa returns to Seoul and rejoins Blackpink. Kim said the singer’s mood at that point was conflicted. “It’s bittersweet, and I think that’s OK,” Kim said, adding that Lisa was reflecting on a year of freedom and worrying she might not keep it.
Since then, Lisa has finished her Blackpink commitments and started the second phase of her solo career with the single Sawadika. Kim said she was not surprised by the move. “Spending the year away from the K-pop system in the US really opened her horizons,” the director said.
Kim argues that Lisa’s wish to keep working solo may be tied to a desire for more personal freedom. Lisa won the award for best pop act at this year’s MTV Awards, becoming the first K-pop star to take the trophy.
