Narratively speaking, the 2018 version is virtually the same as the ‘76 Streisand/Kristofferson iteration — which, thanks to screenwriters John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion, famously brought the Star is Born story out of Hollywood and into the rock area — but updated slightly to be more inclusive and modern. It’s still a tale of two trajectories — one of a descending star, while the other is on an ascension — that intersect, entangle, and befall tragedy, and it’s still very much about fame and its fallout.

What sets this version apart from its many predecessors, though, is how veritable the characters and their chemistry feel, and Cooper smartly pulls from his personal experience (as well as Lady Gaga’s) to create something closer the chest, which elevates the project above just another shallow remake. It’s less about the obsession with being famous and more about having something to say through art, with a heavy emphasis on the internal pressures that boil up when you lose that ability.

This sentiment is summed up in a meta line of dialogue delivered by Sam Elliot, who plays Cooper’s brother in the film: “Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave. 12 notes and the octave repeats. It’s the same story, told over and over. All any artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes.” And Cooper interprets these notes like a true artist and evokes a visceral love story that packs an emotional wallop.