Film No. 45 (2015) Amy 27th June.

Film No. 45 (2015) June 27th.  10.30 AM LUNA Leederville. 

"The more people see of me the more they'll realize that all I'm good for is making music". (Amy Winehouse during an interview at age 18 as her star began to shine).

 

Amy

I can remember hearing of the death of Amy Winehouse in mid 2011 and not being surprised considering the reputation that preceded her. I enjoy her pure vocal tones and I own just one of her albums but I knew little of her life other than that which had been reported, mainly by dubious sources. After spending time with her via this intimate documentary I can't help but wish I'd taken a little more time to consider who she really was, while she was alive. 

Amy takes us on an intimate journey into the world of a young lady who possessed a prodigious talent. Low self esteem, talent, strong mindedness and a penchant for addictive behavior is too often a fatal concoction. Judy Garland, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe left our world before they'd fulfilled all their talent, all suffering from, it would seem, similar afflictions. The name Amy Winehouse must now be included on that legendary list. The sadness I felt comes from the fact that I now wonder if anything could have been done to save this strong willed soul.

Asif Kapadia made one of my favorite documentaries of all time, Senna, 5 years ago and while Amy offers up more intimate material in the form of home video, he doesn't quite reach the same heights. He is however a master at finding a sense of the truth about his subjects. He's never judgmental, he merely produces critical footage that gives us an intimate view of his subjects. In Amy's case the scene in which she meets her idol, Tony Bennett in a recording studio is one in which a wonderful moment is captured. We see a vulnerable Amy but during a special moment, a strength of character also shows through. It is a magical short scene.

The Amy story is told conventionally from her early life through to her sad end. It was well told but there were facets of it that left me unfulfilled. We are told early in her story of Amy's father's exit from the family unit when she was nine, then quite suddenly he becomes her key mentor nine years on. Russell Brand, no shrinking violet himself, and major Winehouse ally had no input into the portrait. Juliette Ashby was Amy's best friend and a very positive influence on Amy's life but she seems to cut in and out of the doco without continuity. Minor quibbles indeed.  8GUMS