A sincere and dark biopic
Back to black he comes forward without a mask, clearly assumes his homage and plays with simplicity. In fact, celebration is the only key word in this biopic. A free biopic, because it is very selective about the story, of the English singer Amy Winehouse, a musical icon and unique voice who disappeared too soon. We always die too early when we die young, and in doing so we ultimately leave behind little material compared to what a broader career would have provided us. It is therefore difficult to firmly propose who Amy Winehouse was, since she did not completely become that.
13 years after his death, which occurred at the age of 27, in tragic but legendary and sadly “ideal” conditions for a brilliant artist – tiredness and accidental alcohol overdose -, he appears at least in Back to black that Amy Winehouse dates back as much to her years of activity (2000-2011) as to previous ones. The time of pin-ups, jazz and rnb. That of whiskey and cigarettes, of evenings shared with grandmother to the sound of the voices of Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday.
This existence of a simple young London woman, an existence that goes beyond herself, holds a mystery that Back to blackdirected by Sam Taylor-Johnson, does not clarify or illustrate except through a codified representation of Amy Winehouse’s misfortunes, in particular that painful yet fascinating melancholy that has chained her at best – professionally – and at worst – personally – to the stories sad.
A narrow corner
Rather than adopt a panoramic format of Amy Winehouse’s entire life, Back to black focuses on his last nine years, from signing his first album to recording his exceptional second Back to black, then his disappearance, only suggested. A short period, and a narrow angle, since it is only Amy Winehouse who interests Sam Taylor-Johnson’s camera, to the point of her adopting its sole subjectivity. What she doesn’t see, what she doesn’t know, what others don’t tell her, so she doesn’t appear on the screen.
This narrative choice leaves little room for maneuver for Sam Taylor-Johnson, whose talent is nevertheless recognized for having brilliantly represented the emotion of love on three occasions: the meeting between Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O’Connell ) around a pool table and a jukebox, a visit to London Zoo and the recording of the monstrous masterpiece “Back to Black”.
But this narrative choice, partial and without omniscience, also has two consequences: the lead actress Marisa Abela carries the film alone on her fragile shoulders, and the people close to her are not secondary characters but luxury extras.
An impressive performance from Marisa Abela
As with any biopic, you must first succeed in your lead performance. And the young actress Marisa Abela, 27 years old and whose first leading role in a feature film, plays her part perfectly. The actress herself sings Amy Winehouse’s songs, proof that imitation is largely outdated. Indeed, if it had simply been necessary reproduce Amy Winehouse, keeping the singer’s original voice would have worked, but it was just a matter of doing it live these songs and live the artist forembodybecome her by taking on her irreducible differences.
So Marisa Abela’s Amy Winehouse looks exactly like the real thing. Her charm, her vivacity, her love desire and her delirious independence are there, and her voice, with its inevitable variation, pays the most beautiful homage to the original with its sincere desire to do Well.
Just looking at this Amy Winehouse, listening to her sing, understanding her affection for her grandmother Cynthia and her desire for Blake, the man she chose against all odds, Back to black it is a tender and successful tribute, a celebration of the independent young woman and above all of the brilliant composer and singer. But if we see the other characters, Blake, his father Mitch (Eddie Marsan), his grandmother (Lesley Manville), his managers, we only see them through the eyes of the singer, who only has love to give. His father is protective, Blake is a pretty level-headed guy, his managers are kindly annoying…
Thus, in the zones of darkness and turmoil explored by screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh and Sam Taylor-Johnson, Amy Winehouse is both the sole subject and the sole object of her drama. Which is also immediately specified, right from the introduction, where Back to black represents young Amy’s addiction to alcohol and tobacco without seeking their influence, before quickly also evoking her eating disorders.
Excessive but ambiguous wisdom
From this celebratory choice and the subjectivity of his character emerges a wise and fluid biopic. Too soft to go into the complexity of the singer’s personality. Unless this complexity was just a fantasy of its audience and a cynical construction of the media, tacitly validated by its producers to give sulfur to a young woman who in reality perhaps didn’t have that much.
Back to black takes the time to paint an Amy Winehouse who wanted absolutely nothing more than to do what she wanted, selfishly. She sings her songs. To marry. Have kids. No attraction for fame and no longer for wealth, no taste for scandal or provocation… And finally a musical work that could not be more “classic”, in the tradition of the great jazz singers of the mid-20th century. This wisdom of Back to black Is it therefore the artificial fact of a cautious cinema? Or, by capillarity, the logical and organic sensation deriving from the profound simplicity of the singer?
It will therefore remain, to each according to his intimate relationship with Amy Winehouse, to establish whether the concrete wisdom of this biographical film proceeds by inertia from an absolute consensuality, or whether it vibrates the beautiful note on which, perhaps, Amy Winehouse could have survived and continued to sing, this simple and ultimately common note that would allow the person’s visceral banality to be brought together with the exceptional universality of his genius.
Back to black by Sam Taylor-Johnson, in theaters from April 24, 2024. Above is the trailer. Find all our trailers here.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
