934814391
Directed by the British filmmaker Asif Kapadia and released in July 2015, the documentary depicts the life and death of Amy Winehouse, the Jewish girl from North London - as she describes herself in the documentary - who burst into our lives, reviving the purest soul of the 60s and blending it with Jazz, R&B, and Pop. With her breakthrough album "Back to Black" (Island, 2007), she managed to set trends. Amy transitioned from the indie scene to the mainstream, thanks to her tremendous and unparalleled voice - only comparable to the voices of the Motown Sound queens - and her songwriting skills, always expressed through direct songs about her own life that easily connected with a wide audience.
The story reveals how Amy's life became public knowledge, not only due to the artist's talent but also to the media's insistence. Especially thanks to the tabloid press and its obsession with portraying the singer's decline day by day. This decline would be inevitably linked to her addiction to alcohol, drugs, the bad influences of the English scene, and the fear of progressing in a world that seemed too vast for her. It becomes evident in this valuable documentary that its protagonist was not ready for this leap to fame, just like her family was not prepared, a fact that emerges in the background of this work like an alarm that is hard to ignore.
AMY: Requiem for a great artist
FX ANIMATION and Sala Montjuïc present in their next "Open-air Cinema" event a delicate gem, dressed in a musical documentary, for all those who love not only music, but life itself: "Amy" (2015). It is a rare beauty that lands in the mountains after its run in theaters and after winning various awards, including the Oscar for Best Documentary, which it won at the last edition of the Hollywood Academy.Directed by the British filmmaker Asif Kapadia and released in July 2015, the documentary depicts the life and death of Amy Winehouse, the Jewish girl from North London - as she describes herself in the documentary - who burst into our lives, reviving the purest soul of the 60s and blending it with Jazz, R&B, and Pop. With her breakthrough album "Back to Black" (Island, 2007), she managed to set trends. Amy transitioned from the indie scene to the mainstream, thanks to her tremendous and unparalleled voice - only comparable to the voices of the Motown Sound queens - and her songwriting skills, always expressed through direct songs about her own life that easily connected with a wide audience.
The story reveals how Amy's life became public knowledge, not only due to the artist's talent but also to the media's insistence. Especially thanks to the tabloid press and its obsession with portraying the singer's decline day by day. This decline would be inevitably linked to her addiction to alcohol, drugs, the bad influences of the English scene, and the fear of progressing in a world that seemed too vast for her. It becomes evident in this valuable documentary that its protagonist was not ready for this leap to fame, just like her family was not prepared, a fact that emerges in the background of this work like an alarm that is hard to ignore.
Directed by the British filmmaker Asif Kapadia and released in July 2015, the documentary depicts the life and death of Amy Winehouse, the Jewish girl from North London - as she describes herself in the documentary - who burst into our lives, reviving the purest soul of the 60s and blending it with Jazz, R&B, and Pop. With her breakthrough album "Back to Black" (Island, 2007), she managed to set trends. Amy transitioned from the indie scene to the mainstream, thanks to her tremendous and unparalleled voice - only comparable to the voices of the Motown Sound queens - and her songwriting skills, always expressed through direct songs about her own life that easily connected with a wide audience.
The story reveals how Amy's life became public knowledge, not only due to the artist's talent but also to the media's insistence. Especially thanks to the tabloid press and its obsession with portraying the singer's decline day by day. This decline would be inevitably linked to her addiction to alcohol, drugs, the bad influences of the English scene, and the fear of progressing in a world that seemed too vast for her. It becomes evident in this valuable documentary that its protagonist was not ready for this leap to fame, just like her family was not prepared, a fact that emerges in the background of this work like an alarm that is hard to ignore.FX ANIMATION and Sala Montjuïc present in their next “Cinema a la Fresca” session a delicate jewel, dressed as a musical documentary, for all those lovers not only of music, but of life: “Amy” (2015). It is a rare bird of exquisite beauty that lands in the mountains after its run in cinemas and after winning several awards, including the Oscar for Best Documentary, an award she received at the last edition of the Hollywood Academy.
Directed by the British Asif Kapadia and premiered in July 2015, the documentary portrays the life and death of Amy Winehouse, the Jewish girl from North London – as she presents herself in the documentary – who burst into our lives, reviving the purest soul of the 60s and mixing it with Jazz, R&B, and Pop. With her debut album “Back to Black” (Island, 2007), she managed to set a trend. Amy transitioned from the indie scene to the mainstream, thanks to her tremendous and unique voice – only comparable to the voices of the Motown Sound queens - and her compositional skills, always resolved with direct songs that spoke of her own life and easily resonated with a wide audience.
The narrative tells how Amy's life as a person and character became public domain, not only thanks to the artist's talent but also to the insistence of the media. Above all, this was due to the tabloid press and their obsession with portraying the singer's decline day by day. This decline was inevitably linked to her addiction to alcohol, drugs, the bad company prevalent in the English scene, and the fear of moving forward in a world that seemed too big for her. It's clear in this valuable documentary that its protagonist was not ready for this leap into fame, just as her family was not prepared, something that ignites at the core of this work like an alarm that is hard to ignore.
A Well-documented Documentary
“Amy” has many virtues, and we could list them for a long time. But the most generous of its qualities is the great archival work done by Asif Kapadia. This documentary feeds on a large number of unseen images from the protagonist's past, her environment, her best and worst moments. Alongside this valuable collection of material, “Amy” features in-depth interviews with friends, family, and coworkers that act as testimonies to the life and death of the artist. All of this, well blended with impeccable musical editing, including her best hits, highlights Winehouse's great legacy, dispelling any doubts about the significant loss her death meant for the history of contemporary music.
The director weaves a story that gradually captivates you, not only convincing you but also making you wish to change an irreversible outcome. Amid devastating interviews and testimonies, the clicks of the paparazzi cameras ring, making the viewer feel each shot like a small stab that dims the singer's life. We are facing one of the best biopics, in documentary format, presented in recent years. Beyond the character, there is the person, and Kapadia shows it effectively: “Amy” is a portrait as faithful as it is fierce, placing the singer of “Rehab” at the top. A place where, despite not feeling comfortable, she seemed to be built for her alone: a beautiful and unfortunate heroine of the pop realm.