Favored to win for Best Documentary, Amy tracks jazz singer sensation Amy Winehouse's meteoric rise and tragic fall, using for the most part, personal footage she and her friends took with a home camera. It makes you realize how, even 10-12 years ago, people were already documenting themselves. Using these, file footage, archived phone messages, and ironically placed songs, documentarist Asif Kapadia creates a coherent portrait of the fragile personality with a minimum of additional interviews (never seen as talking heads, but as frequently touching voice-over). I don't know what it says about me that somehow so famous it destroyed her life was a complete unknown to me (neither her face, her music, or even her name registered), but I did like discovering both her (healthy) personality and music. Regardless of any personal connection to Amy Winehouse the audience might have, the film has something to say about mental illness, the predation of the music business, and paparazzi culture, delivering a well-crafted true life character study and leaving overt judgments about its "characters" to the viewer.
Asif Kapadia is becoming sort of an master of the biographical documentary. Love the way this was edited with the songs and lyrics appearing at the most opportune moments and without interviews as someone else pointed out. It made the movie more fluid and cohesive and it brought the focus all on Amy. In the end, it wasn't only one thing that made Amy's downfall. The lack of support from her parents and their divorce, her chaotic relation with Blake Fielder, the media's and paparazzi relentless chase, all brought forth the story we know today. Excellent documentary.
I thought this was balanced and well done. It’s weird that some people recorded video of her when she was doing nothing special - did they sense she was going to be worth documenting somehow ?
The only thing I would have liked was more information on the specific music she listened to that gave her the sound she had, like a list of her favourite albums.
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Comments 1 - 14 of 14
CSSCHNEIDER
Fantastically affecting, deeply impressive portrait of the definition of the light that burns twice as bright.God
Incredibly sadkaric
Extremely raw, personal, touching, depressing and heartbreaking. She was such a unique beautiful soul, so humble that she couldn't see it in herself.Cata
It broke my heart. So sad to realize how we all pushed her to that end.Siskoid
Favored to win for Best Documentary, Amy tracks jazz singer sensation Amy Winehouse's meteoric rise and tragic fall, using for the most part, personal footage she and her friends took with a home camera. It makes you realize how, even 10-12 years ago, people were already documenting themselves. Using these, file footage, archived phone messages, and ironically placed songs, documentarist Asif Kapadia creates a coherent portrait of the fragile personality with a minimum of additional interviews (never seen as talking heads, but as frequently touching voice-over). I don't know what it says about me that somehow so famous it destroyed her life was a complete unknown to me (neither her face, her music, or even her name registered), but I did like discovering both her (healthy) personality and music. Regardless of any personal connection to Amy Winehouse the audience might have, the film has something to say about mental illness, the predation of the music business, and paparazzi culture, delivering a well-crafted true life character study and leaving overt judgments about its "characters" to the viewer.SkilledLunatic
Asif Kapadia is becoming sort of an master of the biographical documentary. Love the way this was edited with the songs and lyrics appearing at the most opportune moments and without interviews as someone else pointed out. It made the movie more fluid and cohesive and it brought the focus all on Amy. In the end, it wasn't only one thing that made Amy's downfall. The lack of support from her parents and their divorce, her chaotic relation with Blake Fielder, the media's and paparazzi relentless chase, all brought forth the story we know today. Excellent documentary.Cadeicus
Parts of this made me so mad at how people would joke about her. And like 'God' said.. Incredibly sad.Earring72
Insightfull but very sad documentary about the very talented but self destructive Amy Winehouse. The despicable people around her are sickening.Facundo Reyes
Mary Shelley comes back from the grave to show how press, musical industry and family made a Frankenstein with a Camden girl.TalkingElvish
Pretty sure this is titled now, albeit with a title that's nigh on impossible to search.aussieflickfan
I thought this was balanced and well done. It’s weird that some people recorded video of her when she was doing nothing special - did they sense she was going to be worth documenting somehow ?The only thing I would have liked was more information on the specific music she listened to that gave her the sound she had, like a list of her favourite albums.
chunkylefunga
Sad to watch the decline of such a beautiful singer.PostinO
(removed by mod: please post in English)moviebuff_11
http://www.liveforfilms.com/2015/05/18/festival-de-cannes-2015-review-amy/