Amy (2015) A24/Documentary RT: 128 minutes Rated R (language, drug material) Director: Asif Kapadia Music: Antonio Pinto Cinematography: Matt Curtis Release date: July 10, 2015 (US) Cast: Amy Winehouse, Mitch Winehouse, Janis Winehouse, Yaslin Bey, Mark Ronson, Pete Doherty, Tony Bennett, Blake Fiedler-Civil, Tyler James, Salaam Remi, Monte Lipman, Blake Wood, Juliette Ashby, Nick Shymansky, Lauren Gilbert, Lucian Grainge, Nick Gatfield, Darcus Beese, Sam Beste, Andrew Morris, Raye Cosbert, Cristina Romete, Phil Meynell, Dale Davis, Shomari Dilon, Chip Somers, Guy Moot.
Rating: ****
The tragically short career of beehived chanteuse Amy Winehouse gets the treatment it deserves in Amy, a compelling and sad look at the brief, troubled life of a singer compared to the likes of jazz greats Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Billie Holliday. She died in 2011 of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 putting her in the exclusive “27 Club” alongside Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain.
If Amy feels especially personal, it’s because it is. Instead of relying exclusively on archival clips, concert footage and material shot by the ever-present paparazzi, director Asif Kapadia (Senna) incorporates a great deal of home-video footage (much of it shot on Smartphones) of the singer pre-fame and off-stage. We first meet 14YO Winehouse belting out “Happy Birthday” at a friend’s party. It was a promise of the great things yet to come for this enormously talented Jewish girl from North London. But sometimes talent comes at a great price. She had a powerful voice and could belt it out better than any of her contemporaries, but she wasn’t strong enough to defeat the personal demons that plagued her throughout her all-too-short life.
Like all great show biz stories, Amy introduces us to the future celebrity before she became famous. We see her playing gigs at different clubs and traveling to and from by car. This girl brims with self-confidence as she tells one interviewer she plans to do it her way and never be molded into something she isn’t. She doesn’t much like it when another interviewer compares her to Dido.
Once her 2003 debut album Frank touched down and gained success, life would never be the same for Winehouse. In her case, this wasn’t a good thing. During her childhood, she struggled with issues like depression and bulimia. She never recovered from her dad leaving when she was nine. She had an addictive personality, making her susceptible to alcoholism and drug addiction. All the danger signs were there. Sure enough, she couldn’t handle the pressures and constant media attention that come with fame.
Making matters worse were two negative people in her life. Her father Mitch re-entered the picture once she became a star and proceeded to ride her coattails. She hooked up with Blake Fiedler-Civil, a manipulative sort that got her hooked on crack cocaine and heroin soon after they married. It was as toxic a union as Sid and Nancy as he brought out the absolute worst in her. She had her emotional meltdown in the public eye culminating in the infamous Belgrade concert a month before her demise.
Because you already know Winehouse’s fate, her rise to fame is imbued with sadness. You know deep down, she’s not enjoying her success. She’s filled with self-doubt and self-loathing. But boy could that girl sing! I’m not familiar with her music; I don’t really listen to the new stuff. I now regret not checking out her albums while she was still around. The music is raw, organic and soulful; she truly puts herself into it. Just check out the lyrics which are handily printed out on the screen as a sort of narrative device. The archival material, often accompanied by current audio commentary by those that had the privilege of knowing her, is deeply personal and most revealing. It’s the Amy Winehouse that very few actually saw.
Amy is heartbreaking in the best sense of the term. Not everybody had her best interests at heart. Her father brought along a camera crew when he visited her in St. Lucia while she was trying to regroup. Blake got her hooked on drugs so she’d always be dependent on him. Her managers cared more about money and contractual obligations than her health. Anybody could see she wasn’t emotionally up to performing. She had friends who cared- her two best friends from childhood and first manager Nick Shymansky (who obviously harbors a bit of a crush on her)- but it reached a point where they had to distance themselves until she was ready to admit she needed help.
Amy is very well put together and deeply affecting. Even if you don’t know her music, you will find it compelling as a portrait of a tortured artist. The documentary style does her story more justice than any conventional Hollywood biopic probably could, but I’m sure eventually somebody will give it a try. This is a truly excellent film well worth your time.
