The story is not a hymn to suffering. This highly controversial Amy Winehouse biopic has many flaws, but it cannot be accused of exploiting the “hell of addiction” of its protagonist, who died in 2011, at the age of 27. In fact, filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson’s portrait of the artist as a young woman is so determined to be festive that it barely refers to the last year of Winehouse’s life. The film stars Marisa Abela, star of the BBC Two series Industry, who thanks to his talented voice also performs the songs. In the end, the story spreads more joy than sorrow.
It is clear that Taylor-Johnson and screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh, who worked together on the John Lennon story Nowhere Boythey want to differentiate their project from the award-winning documentary Amy, by Asif Kapadia, from 2015, about the North London girl with the striking voice, whose self-destructive behavior became a source of entertainment for the British and American press. I remember shedding a few tears at the end of Amyalthough I didn’t need any tissue during back to black.
This is, in part, because Abela’s Amy never looks helpless. The real Amy suffered from bulimia since she was a teenager and when she reached her twenties she looked extremely thin most of the time, due to purging, drug and alcohol consumption. In the new film, mention is made of Winehouse’s eating disorders, but Abela appears to carry more or less the same weight throughout filming. She is also an attractive young woman (perhaps a vivacious version of Rachel Weisz). Winehouse had a unique and unconventional beauty, although her attractiveness did not receive the credit she deserved. Abela is a pretty good actress, but she couldn’t get into Winehouse’s extraordinary skin.
The way Taylor-Johnson chooses to portray Blake Fielder-Civil, the “fit” young man who was Winehouse’s obsession for years and to whom she was married for a time, is equally frustrating. Fielder-Civil’s culpability in Winehouse’s addiction has been a controversial topic, as he himself stated that he “didn’t resist too much” when she asked him to use heroin. In back to blackHowever, Blake (an insecure, sometimes moody and easy-going man, played by the sweet and seductive Jack O’Connell) is not the one who offers Amy the class A drugs. In the film, Blake shows Amy Amy plays the songs of the American female musical group The Shangri-Las, and she is fascinated when listening to ‘Leader of the pack’. The influence of this group would change the trajectory of his career, as that retro style would become the essence of his second album, which won several Grammys and whose name the film bears. Taylor-Johnson has said that she didn’t want to demonize Blake, which might be a valid point, but showing him as the wind beneath Amy’s wings is a bit extreme and twisted. The young man is a strange mixture of darkness, rebellion, kindness and morality, so to speak.
Amy’s father, Mitch Winehouse, played by Eddie Marsan, is portrayed as the patron saint of optimistic fathers. At first, he says no to rehabilitating his daughter, but only because he is a proud father and hopes that her daughter can solve her problems on her own. As soon as she says she’s ready, he responds, “Let’s go!” Plus, he never pressures her to go on tour. And, of course, he never exposes her to the entire Channel 4 camera crew recording the documentary. My daughter Amy, a program that in fact exists. When she is a grown woman, her father is only there to pamper her and chat about the intoxicating joys of jazz.
Amy’s relationship with her “nanny,” Mitch’s mother, Cynthia (Lesley Manville), is just as saccharine. The only villains, in this story, are the paparazzi, an easy target. There is no mention of the media barons, who made emotionally fragile celebrities easy prey, nor of the public who bought the newspapers or visited the websites with sensational videos and news. In the years to come, we will be able to see back to black on television, on Christmas Day, during soap opera schedules. No matter how many times Amy says “damn,” despite all the profanity, this rosy biopic has the rebelliousness of a child. boy scout.
Some of the jokes, admittedly, are pretty good. Like recent movies Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, back to black maintains a constant supply of witty comments. When Amy is told that she reeks of alcohol and cigarettes, she responds that she is a new “Chanel.” When the police raid the house and ask if there are any drugs, Blake cheerfully states, “No, I think we took everything!” But unlike Winehouse’s wit, which comes through in her devilishly clever lyrics, those jokes are there to make you laugh, even though they should make you cry.
What’s surprising is Winehouse’s aggressiveness when she’s drunk (a fight on the sidewalk seems especially authentic) and the way her mood can change in a matter of seconds, for no reason. In the film’s best moment, we watch as Winehouse and Fielder-Civil get married in Miami and, later, swim naked in a pool, with Amy’s expression suddenly changing from happy to sorrowful. Time and place blur together as the action shifts back to London, with Winehouse looking more and more like a flamenco dancer fallen from the dark side of the moon. Ironically, it is in these scenes of introspection and disorientation that Amy seems most real.
But the melodrama always takes the lead, there is a plot thread about Amy’s desire to have a baby that is more cloying than touching. At various points Winehouse is also seen running for her life. And she is often compared to animals like a small caged bird and a fearless fox. The metaphors are so direct that they are sad.
With less fauna and more musical collaborations from Winehouse, the film would have been better. Her interactions with world-famous producers Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson are fleeting, while hip-hop and soul legends Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) and Questlove have been erased from history. Winehouse jokes with the band, but doesn’t talk about making music with them. Everyone says that Winehouse was a team player, but that is not perceived. And although the big hits (‘Rehab’, ‘Tears dry on their own’, etc.) provide pleasant experiences, the most moving ballad is performed by Nick Cave.
back to black is a mildly enjoyable film that will do wonders for Abela and O’Connell’s careers. But unlike Winehouse’s work, it’s not worth taking seriously. She’s too naive.
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson. Cast: Marisa Abela, Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan, Lesley Manville, Juliet Cowan. Cert 15, 122 minutes.
Back to Black will be in theaters starting April 12.
Translation of María Delia García
