Amy Winehouse Documentary AMY ★★★★★

Amy Winehouse occupies a rightfully mythic position in popular culture. Rising to fame in the early 00s, the artist’s blend of soul and jazz felt both brazenly contemporary and steeped in tradition. Full of candour, her music was a testament to personal hardship. Her life and career were fraught with difficulty and, after a long struggle with addiction, she died aged twenty seven from alcohol poisoning.

Drawing on a broad catalogue of archive footage from press photography to home movies, director Asif Kapadia (Senna) tells the story of how this young woman from Southgate became one her generation’s most unique and powerful voices. A story of song-writing – of the entangled relations between art and life - Amy brings to light previously unheard material, as well as interviews with those who knew her. Personal remembrances sit alongside mediatised images building a richly detailed picture of the iconic singer.

Kapadia already has an impressive reputation for filmmaking: Kapadia's Senna documentary (2010), which chronicled the life and tragic death of Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna, attracted praise not least for its psychological sensitivity and understanding of narrative. With Amy, the director is likely to cement a reputation as one of his generation’s most redoubtable documentarians.

The film is a document of a ferociously talented singer, tragic circumstance, and the pressures of modern musicianship. It attracted considerable praise at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

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Looking for more?

We spoke to the film's director, Asif Kapadia