The documentary was originally called The Re-Invented Process, referencing the tour and the Steven Klein exhibition titled X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS.

Unlike her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare, which portrayed Hollywood glamour, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret clarified from its beginning that it was about the singer's personal views on life and spirituality.

Before releasing the documentary, Madonna invited a select group of friends and co-workers to watch a rough three-hour cut of the film at a local theater in Notting Hill.

[2][3] The intro is followed by the singer recording vocals with music director Stuart Price and auditioning dancers for the Re-Invention World Tour.

[2] After the first show of the tour at The Forum in Inglewood, California, Madonna attends a party with her dancers celebrating the success of the opening night.

[4] The entourage moves to Miami where Ritchie is shown angling with their son Rocco, plays with her daughter Lourdes, and Madonna reflects on relationships and her husband.

[7] The final segment of the documentary shows Madonna arriving at Tel Aviv, Israel, amidst protests of her visit.

[9] Madonna was inspired to create the tour after taking part in an art installation called X-STaTIC PRo=CeSS, directed by photographer Steven Klein.

[2] Originally called The Re-Invented Process in reference to the tour and the exhibition X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS, the documentary was filmed during Madonna's visit to North America and Europe from May 24 to September 14, 2004.

It was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, whose previous endeavors included music videos, commercials and the cult film, Spun (2003).

[25] The documentary emerged from Madonna's urge to show her artistic side on the tour and her devotion towards the Jewish mysticism Kabbalah.

Unlike her 1991 documentary, Truth or Dare, which portrayed Hollywood glamour, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret clarified from its beginning that it was about the singer's views on life and spirituality.

", Madonna told MTV, with the last bit referring to a scene of her performing fellatio on an Evian bottle in Truth or Dare.

Along with Madonna, her dancers, and her tour group, Kerlund also captured shots of her family, her routine at work, and her daily life.

[27]Referring to the incidents in the pub, Madonna explained her view on relationships where a man has to travel with his wife, while giving an example of her friend, actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

She said that it was easier for Paltrow to tour with her then-husband, Chris Martin, who is the lead singer of the alternative rock band, Coldplay.

However, ultra-orthodox Jews protested her trip, saying that Madonna disgraced Judaism with her portrayal of wearing phylacteries over her arm—a Jewish custom usually reserved for men—in the music video of her 2002 single "Die Another Day", before escaping from an electric chair on which Hebrew letters spell out one of the 72 sacred names of God.

[7] Side-by-side Madonna had also started working on her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, juggling time between editing the film and recording.

[4] O'Brien criticized other portions of the film, which she said was "affected" by conscious behavior in front of the camera, like backstage parties, poem and piano recitals.

[4] Author J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote in his book Madonna: An Intimate Biography that the film allowed a much closer look at the singer's family.

[35] Kathryn Flett from The Observer newspaper described it as "Fascinating, [it has] tiny flashes of insight into her relationship with [Ritchie], which occasionally involve her being just as girlie and ever so slightly insecure as the rest of us.

[37] Barry Walters from Rolling Stone mentioned that I'm Going to Tell You a Secret "lacks the dishy delights of the diva's 1991 Truth or Dare doc.

gave it three out of five stars, saying that "it still sucks to sit through all that video and see almost as much of her limo as her show ... For a start, how about giving us a [movie] that isn't derivative and self-indulgent?

"[39] Colin Jacobson from the DVD Movie Guide website opined that I'm Going to Tell You a Secret would find a divided audience and how one reacted to the documentary was a reflection of how one viewed Madonna.

[43] Stephen M. Deusner from Pitchfork panned the release, saying that "[Madonna's] life as portrayed in this documentary is cloistered and withdrawn, marked by hours of quiet Kabbalah study but very little self-reflection.

Whether intentionally or not, Åkerlund reveals Madonna's supreme lack of self-awareness, from her embarrassing attempts at poetry to the condescending tone she takes with her dancers to her incredibly irresponsible visit to Rachel's Tomb despite the warnings of her host country and her security team."

He ended the review noting that Madonna did not need to prove anything further, since her songs "have become a shared language among people who have very little common ground.

The live CD consisted of two pre-recorded tracks, "The Beast Within" and "Hollywood" while extras on the DVD included 12 deleted scenes from the documentary.