The star machine is one that can be quite unfair on young talents. While some (narcissists, mostly) will do absolutely anything to have the spotlight dragged in their direction and hope to flourish in it, there are some who are grinded in the gears and spat out completely used up with nothing of themselves left.
One such person who was unwillingly sucked into this machine was the late and great singer Amy Winehouse; a woman who the public held up high on a pedestal and then torn down and proclaimed a ‘madwoman’ (as Graham Norton and Jay Leno described her) by people across the world.
With the new documentary 'Amy', Asif Kapadia (director of 'Senna') has peeled back the layers of tabloid punchlines to reveal how Amy Winehouse's life led to tragedy. 'Amy' documents the short life of the British 'Rehab' singer, her reputation in the press as a ‘party girl’, and her death in 2011 thereby joining the macabre 27 Club. But Kapadia’s film explores Amy even further, showing us more of her than what anybody close to her probably knew.
'Amy' explores Amy's meteoric rise to fame; a woman unable to cope with the pressures of life and wanting nothing more than to escape. Born in a broken home, with her father leaving the family for his secretary when she was only 18 months old, Amy finds her first form of escape from the disintegration of her home through music.
Much of the early footage used in the film focuses on how amazing and completely unique her voice was, even from the beginning, and how she wanted to be considered a jazz singer more than a pop star. Nick Shymansky is one of the first to see her talent as a singer and a songwriter and becomes her first manager and possibly one of the few positive influences in her life.
However, once someone notices a talent, there is always someone/s lurking in the background with dollar signs in their eyes. 'Amy' details the horrid actions of the two men Amy loved most: her father, Mitch Winehouse; and her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil.
When Amy was first experiencing issues with alcohol and drugs, her record label tried an intervention; however, Mitch interjected, saying his daughter didn't require rehab, rather she needed to focus on business commitments. While watching the film, you can't help but cringe every time Blake appears on screen.
As most know the tragic story of Amy Winehouse, Kapadia explores more sides than just the ‘mess’ we were led to believe she was. Through candid and intimate footage, we learn that Amy was also funny and quick-witted, being able to shoot a hilarious line in the blink of an eye.
Yasiin Bey & Amy WinehouseWe are also shown how fantastic a lyricist she was, something I never realised until I saw her lyrics written across the screen, including such brilliance: “as pure as the rap sheet of a dove”. We are also shown how vulnerable and lacking in self-confidence she was during a recording session with her idol Tony Bennett, constantly stopping the recording because she feels she’s not good enough to be there, and Bennett reassuring her of her brilliance.
Kapadia’s use of candid footage, old recordings, live performances, and paparazzi recordings (with much of the second half of the film being made up of this) gives a very personal telling of her life story that a biopic could never give, and never feels exploitative like films about young stars can often feel (for example, everything made about Anna Nicole Smith).
Kapadia shows he understands his subject and is able to translate this to the screen, although the thanks to the media for their footage at the end felt undeserved.
'Amy' is a visual essay that is absolutely heartbreaking and reminds us of the gaping hole that Amy Winehouse’s death left the music world. A sad and beautiful masterpiece.
5/5 stars
'Amy' is released nationally 2 July.
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