Amy (2015)
2015
R
128 Minutes
A documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see her from her teen years, where she already showed her singing abilities, to her finding success and...
User Review
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Amy gives us an insight to the uncontrollable downfall of fame. A biographical documentary depicting both the early personal life and musical career of Amy Winehouse, who unfortunately overdosed on drugs in 2011. Biopics are difficult to review, you have to refrain from judging the person that is being portrayed and just review the documentary itself. However, before I start I would like to say that Amy Winehouse was incredibly talented. It really was a shame what she went through in terms of her own personal demons. She was clearly infectiously likeable and down to earth, devoted to her one passion. This documentary creatively captures her fragility through the use of old recordings, montages of pictures with onscreen lyrics to accompany them and countless awards ceremonies for all the recognition she rightfully deserved. This is a statement. To explore and convey the desirable disease of fame. Fame. It can corrupt the most innocent of souls. The influx of money, power and popularity can enhance the accessibility of drugs and alcohol. In Amy's case, it destroyed her. Not solely, the film takes the time to go through her stages of early depression before she took the world by storm. It's utterly moving and powerful. A young woman susceptible to external influences. She didn't know what she was doing, it was out of her control. The way the media covered her story rather enraged me, with several chat shows and news reports mocking her. It's important to acknowledge that the media only saw one side to her, but it's a shame they reduced her to a mess. As empathetic as this is, we also celebrate her work by listening and watching her perform. Director Asif Kapadia dynamically balanced her lows and highs to portray an enigmatic young woman who was taken from us far too early. The runtime could've been slightly shorter to maintain a tighter biopic, but it's a fitting tribute and I highly recommend you watch this. Like me, you don't need to be a fan of her to appreciate the complexity and intellectual narrative of this documentary.1 member likes this review.
