Amy Winehouse has sadly been gone for four years now but her posthumous film debut is finding its way to cinemas around the world in the form of a documentary. The collated mix of her brilliance and breakdowns is leaving some viewers fawning and others fuming.
The film titled ‘Amy’ which explores the controversial singer’s short life has opened to record level box office figures and 5 star reviews. The opening weekend was the best ever for a UK documentary and it ranks as the second highest grossing doco of all time, only being topped by Michael Moore’s 2004 release ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’.
The picture premiered at Canne Film Festival in May of this year and immediately started generating a buzz. That success was echoed in the US in its opening weekend as it grossed $222,015 on a restricted release at only six sites across the country; an impressive figure for the documentary market. The film will have a staggered wide release throughout the month of July and it is expected that there will be an abundance of public interest in the behind-the-scenes story of Amy’s tumultuous ride through the world of music, fame; and drug abuse.
Not everyone is praising the film however, with Amy Winehouse’s father – Mitch Winehouse – furious with Director Asif Kapadia’s portrayal of the troubled singer’s life. In response Mr Winehouse has vowed to produce his own documentary with the help of Reg Traviss, Amy’s boyfriend at the time of her death.
“We’re going to invite everyone that’s spoken on the other film and we’re not going to edit it, like they’ve edited me, and we’re going to tell the truth about Amy’s life because this is not,” said Mr Winehouse during an interview on British talk show ‘Loose Women’, according to E entertaining news.
The major criticism launched at the production so far revolves around the heavy editing which allegedly occurred and which portrays Mitch Winehouse as a somewhat opportunistic father who failed a duty of care to Amy during her downward spiral with drugs and alcohol.
After seeing the film Mitch Winehouse tweeted,
“All Amy’s friends who were excluded from film will have their say. They won’t be edited. Kapadia, you are a disgrace.”
Kapadia has hit back at the allegations saying, “The finished film that people are going to see is an honest representation of everything that we heard and saw. It’s not trying in any way to try and point a finger at any single person.”
The feud between Mitch Winehouse and Asif Kapadia will no doubt feed off the momentum of the documentary but it’s unsure whether this ambient friction will overpower the substance of the film or if it will simmer down over time. Regardless, it is clear that ‘Amy’ is a piece of quality cinema, controversial in its entirety, and offers up layers of emotional material for public digestion. No doubt the documentary’s style will be a cinematic representation of Winehouse’s music to convey the beauty and waste which was personified by the short but brilliant life of the artist herself.
To read more about the amazing life and career of the talented Amy Winehouse, her modest beginnings and rise to stardom, check out FIB’s Maters of Music volume 19 available on amazon.com
