Back to blackthe film about the life of Amy Winehouse, in theaters this Wednesday, April 24, looks back on the singer’s descent into hell, obscuring, according to some close people, her talent and her personality.
Thirteen years after the death of singer Amy Winehouse, director Sam Taylor-Johnson recounts her descent into hell in a biopic in theaters this Wednesday, April 24. A film which is already controversial, in particular because of the role reserved for the singer’s father, Mitch Winehouse (Eddie Marsan).
If in Asif Kapadia’s documentary, Amy, released in 2015, was quite harsh towards Mitch Winehouse, and showed him in an unflattering light as a greedy and greedy father, this biopic goes against this thesis. Mitch Winehouse, who managed his career and famously advised his daughter against going to rehab, is presented here in a much more positive light.
“Mitch (Winehouse) does better here because he is played with charm by Eddie Marsan,” the Guardian points out in its review.
If Sam Taylor-Jonhson met the singer’s family, she assures that they had no control over the production. “I already had the rights to the music and the story, but what I wanted was to meet the family out of respect, because I am still making a film about their daughter,” the director confided to BFMTV during the Parisian preview.
“I haven’t met Blake, her ex-husband, but Jack (O’Connell, the actor who plays her), has met him. It was important to hear what they had to say, and then to make the film as I wanted.”
Descent into hell
Back to black is also accused of exploiting the sulphurous reputation of the young woman, who died at the age of 27 of an alcohol overdose, but also her injuries and her descent into hell at the time of the album’s creation Back to black. To the detriment of his talent and his personality.
Roisin O’Connor, music columnist for The Independent, wonders about the motivations for making a biopic on the life of Amy Winehouse, which is already well documented.
“Given how effectively her life has been scrutinized, it’s almost impossible to find a sincere reason to make a film about Winehouse – at least not one that isn’t motivated by greed,” notes- she said.
Sam Taylor-Johnson’s film focuses a lot on the highly toxic relationship between Amy Winehouse, played by Marisa Abela, and Blake Fielder-Civil, played by Jack O’Connell. The man who became the singer’s husband is accused of having led her towards hard drugs.
“I liked Blake and I’m glad he wasn’t made out to be a total bad guy, because he wasn’t,” he told Sun Tyler James, childhood friend of Amy Winehouse.
“Often there is no sympathy for him, as if he is responsible for everything.”
“They watered it down”
Tyler James is, however, quite dubious about the biopic. Amy Winehouse would be “furious” at the way she is represented, he told the Sun. “I didn’t expect it to be realistic or completely accurate,” he told the tabloid. “But it was worse than I thought. It was terrible and that doesn’t do it justice.”
“They watered down and glossed over her extraordinary life and left out parts of her story. It’s not her story. This film could have told so much more and given a more complete picture of the person Amy was .”
“She was the most astonishing and beautiful person I met in my life. She was incredibly funny, intelligent and smart. That goes unsaid,” he regrets.
Lorène de Susbielle with Magali Rangin
