Amy (2015)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Asif Kapadia

Cast: Amy Winehouse (archive), Mitchell Winehouse, Tony Bennett

Running time: 128 minutes

This 2015 documentary focuses on the short, yet full, life of British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, who died in July 2011 following years of drug and alcohol abuse and a constant battle with bulimia. Through the use of archive footage and recorded interviews with the late star and her entourage, we are taken on a trip on a road that ends on such a tragic note.

The story of the rise and fall of the great jazz/soul singer that was Amy Winehouse is just as riveting as it is sad. To see such talent wasted away and lost, at the young age of 27, is a truly terrible thing.

Watching this film, it is hard not to get mad at Amy Winehouse’s entourage for not helping her a little more. That being said, addiction is a difficult battle and it is a monstrous beast when you are ill-equipped to deal with its effect. The fact remains, she needed better support. When Amy found great success, with the Back to Black album, she then became a cash cow for everyone around her and there would be no stopping that train, even if there were no tracks left to travel on.

This documentary also shows a very nasty portrait of the paparazzi situation in Europe. Even the sanest person in the world might be prone to snapping when surrounded and “attacked” like that with cameras. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for a fragile Amy Winehouse.

All things considered, this is an awesome documentary. The story is sad, but it is a great look at a talented woman we lost much too fast.

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