Review: Amy

Before watching this movie, I didn't know too much about Amy Winehouse. I knew a couple of her songs, and I knew that I liked her music, but as for her personal life, the only image that I had in my head of her was comprised by the jokes that people told -- you know the ones: "Her biggest hit was rehab, and she died from alcohol poisoning." But Asif Kapadia's documentary, AMY, gives you a direct insight into her personal life, and how she stumbled down the path that she did.

Even in her childhood, Amy was a singer: the documentary starts us off with a clip of Amy singing "happy birthday", eating lollipops with friends. It doesn't take long for the film to dive right into her music career -- after all, she began her career at 16, so as form follows function, of course they jumped straight into the music. It's a beautiful summary of Amy's immersion into the jazz world: only writing lyrics that were directly personal to her, but "with a punchline".



The tragic thing about Amy is that she honestly did become a musician because of the music. "She needed music, like it was a person, and she would die for it," said one of her bandmates, a comment that -- like many -- was very reflective of the life she led. There are even quotes that she said herself that are scary just how close they hit home: Amy never thought she'd be famous, once saying that "I don't think I could handle it. I'd go mad."

But as much as it doesn't shy away from Amy's problems, the film also celebrates her talent and the joy that she spread to those around her. Amy is described as a complete force of nature, and there's plenty of footage to back that up: her dynamic personality fills the screen, making it that much harder to reach the end of her story. The film ties together the vital points of her life with extracts from her own lyrics, displaying the connections on screen in little chunks - the footage of Amy in concert almost serves as a commercial break, while still threading the film into a cohesive piece.

AMY is now playing at the Midtown Cinema. I definitely recommend that you check it out before it leaves!