Review: Amy (2015) · 4:12am Mar 16th, 2016
The 2015 documentary detailing the horrifically tragic life of jazz/soul singer Amy Winehouse is a surprisingly emotionally dry film, yet, it's own subject matter provides enough of an entrancement to make this worth at least one viewing, if perhaps not it's Academy Award win.
Clicking by at a slow two hours, the documentary is created via a complex collage of archive footage and voice over interviews with those who knew the late singer. From childhood friends to her ex husband to her bodyguard, everybody gets an opportunity to voice their memories of her life, and in doing so, one does get a palpable sense of loss and tragedy at the destruction of what was no doubt a singular musical talent. In the archive footage, Amy Winehouse comes across as a vulnerable woman who sadly was never able to break free from her wealth of well documented personal demons. it's rather bizarre to see how much more bright and sunny she was prior to her rise to fame that Back to Black brought, and then how, with the release of Back to Black and it's "Rehab" single, her complete and utter self destruction.
And yet, with the exception of a few moments here and there, mostly in the final half hour, the film has a strange emotional detachment, seemingly more concerned with documenting her life without emotion then in creating a multi-faceted portrait of her. And in doing so, the documentary feels lacking. One can catch a glimpse of the raw emotional intensity that Amy Winehouse was here and there, but for the most part, the film remains far too dry to be truly effective.
Perhaps I am in the minority, but this documentary I feel is still not quite covering the full scope of her life. While no doubt a good introduction to her life, and her music, I hope for a more in-depth, emotionally arresting portrait of her in the future.
One thing's for sure. I'll never be able to listen to "Rehab" ever again.
3 out of 5 stars.
