In the high-stakes ecosystem of Latin American pop, longevity is the rarest currency. The industry thrives on the new, the young, and the viral, often discarding yesterday’s idols with brutal efficiency. Yet, Mariana “Lali” Espósito has not only survived this churn; she has weaponized it.
Directed by her brother, Lautaro Espósito, in his filmmaking debut, the 74-minute feature is a raw, kinetic, and surprisingly philosophical portrait of an artist at the peak of her powers. It captures a pivotal three-year period, documenting her return to the stage after a pandemic-induced hiatus and culminating in her historic, sold-out performance at the José Amalfitani Stadium (Vélez Sarsfield)—a feat that cemented her status as the “Queen of Argentine Pop.”
The Lens of Intimacy: A Family Affair
Celebrity documentaries often suffer from over-curation; they are polished brand extensions designed to sell tours or mitigate scandals. Time to Step Up circumvents this by keeping the production in the family. The choice of Lautaro Espósito as director proves to be the film’s narrative engine. There is a shorthand between the siblings that the camera captures but never intrudes upon.
“I grew up very used to the public eye,” Lali reflects in a voiceover early in the film. “There comes a moment when that public character ends up boxing you in, and you start believing that’s all you are.”
Lautaro’s camera lingers in spaces that a hired director might have cut. We see Lali not just as the polished “Diva” in sequins, but as Mariana: a sister, a daughter, and a boss grappling with the immense pressure of her own ambition. The documentary eschews the standard “talking head” format of music critics praising the subject. Instead, it focuses on the internal dynamics of the Espósito family and the tight-knit team that operates “Lali Inc.”
The result is a film that feels less like a promotional tool and more like a home video writ large—if your home videos involved pyrotechnics, stadium logistics, and the adoration of millions.
The Road to Vélez: Scaling the Mountain
The narrative backbone of the documentary is the “Disciplina Tour,” a spectacle that redefined the scale of pop shows in Argentina. However, the film is careful to contextualize the magnitude of the final destination: the José Amalfitani Stadium.
For international audiences, the significance of “playing Vélez” might require translation. In Argentina, this stadium is hallowed ground, historically reserved for international rock giants or local legends like Spinetta and Charly García. For a female pop act to book—and sell out—the venue is a statistical anomaly. Lali became the first Argentine woman to achieve this solo, a glass ceiling shattered with the force of a high-octave belt.
The documentary details the grueling physical preparation required to mount a show of this caliber. We witness the exhaustion, the vocal rest, the production crises, and the anxiety that plagues even the most seasoned performers. After four years away from live performance, Lali’s return was not guaranteed to be a triumph. The film effectively raises the stakes, showing us that the confidence displayed on stage is a constructed armor, forged in hours of rehearsal.
The concert footage itself is electric, mixed by sound designers Oliverio Duhalde and Gastón Baremberg to immerse the viewer in the roar of 50,000 fans. But the most compelling drama happens in the silence before the curtain rises, where the weight of making history seems to rest visibly on her shoulders.
“Fanático” and the Voice of a Generation
While the film focuses on the tour, it cannot be separated from the political and cultural context in which Lali has operated over the last two years. The release of her recent hit “Fanático”—widely interpreted as a response to political attacks and the current administration in Argentina—looms large over the documentary’s themes.
The film does not shy away from Lali’s evolution from a politically neutral child star to a vocal advocate for women’s rights, the LGBTQ+ community, and cultural funding. The documentary captures the backlash and the support that comes with taking a stand.
In a poignant sequence, the film explores the inspiration behind her recent songwriting, including the biting lyric, “When you’ve hunted the lion, the rats don’t distract you.” While the documentary was filmed over three years, the editing (completed recently) seamlessly weaves these newer, sharper edges of her personality into the narrative. It paints a portrait of a pop star who is no longer content to just “shut up and sing.” This evolution is framed as part of her maturity—a stepping up not just to a bigger stage, but to a bigger responsibility.
The Girl Who Beat Time
The title, The One Who Beats Time, is not just a reference to her energy; it is a nod to her impossible longevity. To illustrate this, the filmmakers raided the family archives.
The documentary is peppered with never-before-seen home videos, offering a stark contrast between the stadium conqueror and the aspiring child artist. We see a young Lali as a determined figure skater, falling and getting back up—a visual metaphor that the director employs with touching effectiveness. These glimpses of her childhood do more than just tug at heartstrings; they establish a continuum of discipline.
Watching a pre-teen Lali navigate her early acting roles in the Cris Morena factory (Rincón de Luz, Casi Ángeles) provides the necessary context for her current work ethic. The industry is notoriously unkind to child stars; the transition to adult artistry is a graveyard for many careers. The documentary argues that Lali’s survival wasn’t luck, but a series of deliberate, difficult choices to prioritize her own voice over the expectations of producers who wanted to keep her frozen in time.
A New Era of Latin Pop Docs
With Time to Step Up, Netflix continues its investment in high-quality music documentaries from Latin America, joining recent successes that deconstruct the lives of regional icons. However, Lali’s film distinguishes itself by its tone. It lacks the tragic undercurrents of many fame documentaries. Instead, it is a story of agency.
The production values, courtesy of Rei Pictures, El Estudio, and Cinemática, are sleek and cinematic, matching the glossy aesthetic of Lali’s music videos (“Disciplina”, “N5”). Yet, the editing allows the handheld, behind-the-scenes chaos to breathe, creating a rhythm that feels authentic to the artist’s frantic life.
When Lali: Time to Step Up drops on Netflix this week, it will undoubtedly be consumed voraciously by the “Lalitas” who have camped out for her shows for years. But the film’s appeal extends beyond the fanbase. It is a universal story about the cost of dreams and the relentless passage of time.
“I’m not going to be what others want me to be,” Lali declares in the trailer—a statement that could serve as the tagline for her entire career.
In watching her conquer Vélez, we aren’t just watching a singer hit high notes; we are watching a woman reclaim her narrative, one beat at a time. For an artist who has spent her life racing against the clock of fame, this documentary proves that she hasn’t just beaten time—she has mastered it.
Fact Sheet: Lali: Time to Step Up
- Spanish Title: Lali: La que le gana al tiempo
- Release Date: December 4, 2025
- Platform: Netflix (Global)
- Director: Lautaro Espósito
- Production: Rei Pictures, El Estudio, Cinemática
- Runtime: 74 minutes
- Key Appearances: Lali Espósito, Lautaro Espósito, collaborators from the Disciplina Tour.
