Released this Tuesday on Prime Video: 6 highlights from the documentary “I Am: Céline Dion”

The documentary I am: Celine Dion allows you to reconnect with the Quebec diva after years of silence. We discover how she suffered, isolated in her Las Vegas home in the midst of her battle with stiff person syndrome.

Irene Taylor’s film, which finished filming a year and a half ago, is not only moving. It is also a source of hope, Céline showing herself courageous and determined to get back in shape, her ultimate goal, beyond being a devoted mother to her children, being to return to the stage as soon as possible.

We measure for the first time, and in a very intimate way, how the singer was affected in her daily life by the rare neurological disease which afflicts her and from which she will never recover.

Fortunately, her condition now seems better under control, as we saw during the New York premiere last week, where Céline appeared in great shape.

Here are seven highlights or things to highlight in the Amazon MGM Studios documentary, which is released this Tuesday on the Prime Video platform:

A severe attack of spasms

In the documentary, we see Céline resting, taking a lot of medication and stretching. We helplessly witness, at the end of the film, a major attack of spasms during which Céline no longer speaks, only emitting a few heartbreaking groans.

At the start, there is also a crisis which requires the intervention of paramedics, but the camera is further back, unlike the second scene of distress where we feel voyeuristic and frankly uncomfortable having access to our Céline in such a dramatic moment.

It starts with a spasm in his foot and quickly escalates, his fingers twisting and his entire body twitching. It’s terrifying and we wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Her sports therapist then gives her Valium and turns the singer onto her side as she screams in pain and cries, her face ashen. It is troubling.

Without makeup

There are large sections of the documentary where Céline presents herself without makeup, as if she wanted to show herself without filter to better reach her admirers. Director Irene Taylor was surprised but delighted, calling it “a very powerful signal”.

The warehouse visit

If there is a moment that represents the comic Céline that we love, it is the one where she visits one of the warehouses where all her souvenirs, dresses, shoes, etc. are located. We know that she particularly collects high heels, her weak point. She’s funny when she says that if she likes a pair, no matter the size, she’ll wear it! She also shows us drawings of her children which she keeps, just like their toys. Does Céline suffer from a slight compulsive accumulation disorder (CAD), she who has four warehouses like this?

His attempt to record a song from the film’s soundtrack Love Again

Céline has always had an easy time recording songs. Professional, she can often succeed in obtaining the desired result in a single take. Well, the illness changed that, at least at the time the documentary was being filmed, because the singer isn’t happy with what she delivers when she records the film’s soundtrack. Love Againas seen in the documentary.

Céline vacuums

Céline may have employees to help her, but we still see her in her daily life as she vacuums, brushes her teeth and makes coffee, while feeding her dog Bear and ferrets.

A devoted mother

Despite the illness, Céline is very involved in the lives of her twins. She plays with Eddy and Nelson, chats and jokes with them. We rarely see his oldest, René-Charles, 23, except in archives. However, he was present at the premiere in the Big Apple on June 17 to support his mother.

Note that we also find Céline’s late husband and impresario, René Angélil, in the archives.

Directed by Irene Taylor, the documentary I am: Celine Dion will be revealed on Prime Video on June 25.

As for the interview she gave to Jean-Philippe Dion during the special show Céline breaks the silence, it will be rebroadcast on Monday June 24, at 8 p.m., on TVA. You can also catch up on TVA+.