The story of Amy Winehouse, a heartbreaking journey from the director of Senna.
I remember clearly when Amy Winehouse died, it was one of those shocks that you kind of expected, but didn’t expect to really happen. I enjoyed her music, although I never saw her live and I didn’t follow her in the papers. Of course there were some things that you couldn’t miss, she was on the front cover so much. I cried when she died; something inside of me really resonated with her. I listened to her music to try and feel what she had gone through. Her last single, ‘Love Is a Losing Game’ – the original demo version – especially got me. The bit at the end, you could tell was just so her. A beautiful, raw, deep, emotional, soulful voice, and then this gewl asking at the end of it – “Is that alright?“.
I thought this film was great. I was so in awe and inspired by her vulnerable magic. I felt she just needed support and protecting.
The main thing I thought about it is what twats the mainstream medias are, and how much the media rules and ruins people. She just wanted to be in the music and to feel love.
From the film, it seems that because of the pressure and unhealed childhood stuff – her parents splitting, etc – which spilled over into the kind of relationships she attracted, the drugs, alcohol and her eating disorder (eating disorders are – generally – to do with the parents), she got so, so lost.
It scared me how she performed when she wasn’t healthy. This seems to be a strong part of society also – we keep going because of pressure and expectation, but you cannot give what you do not have, and need to always honour this! There is always a way.
The bit with all the paparazzi hounding her freaked me out, how can the people taking those photos be happy with themselves? The medias who supported this kind of invasion of her life have absolutely no connection to their soul.
Also, I have to say, consumer creates demand, so if people stopped giving a shit about the paparazzi kind of stuff and just enjoyed the music and let it and the artist do the work, things could be different.
What happened to Amy Winehouse was definitely a sign of the times.
If medias want to keep up, they need to step up and do things in a different and more conscious way, which I hope is beginning to happen.
I did wonder why her partner before she passed wasn’t in the film at all.
Thank you for the music, Amy Winehouse! Your music and your magic is forever with us. A proper artist.
And a mermaid.
This post was written by Kim Booth