When filmmaker, Asif Kapadia, decided to make a documentary based on the famous jazz musician, Amy Winehouse, he knew that he wanted to show the world personal behind the scenes footage of how the talented jazz singer became her own worst enemy in the documentary, Amy.
The movie, which is out July 10th, will feature never before unseen footage and unreleased songs from the artist.
Winehouse, who died shockingly in 2011 of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27, is portrayed as a young woman who has this desire for love and wanting to be loved.
It all started two years ago when Kapadia, started interviewing Winehouse’s friends, colleagues, and family in London. Emotions from the interviews were as if Winehouse died yesterday, even though she died two years prior to the interviews.
In the beginning of the movie, Winehouse is shown with her best mates, Shymansky, Juliette Ashby and Lauren Gilbert who have known her since before her fame.
There is a clip in the movie where Winehouse gives a tour of her vacation villa in a thick Spanish accent where she is at ease.
Some other footage includes Winehouse singing Happy Birthday at the age of 14 and of her later apologizing to her best friend about her substance abuse.
Rare photos and video footage were shown throughout the film from people close to Winehouse including her ex-husband and manager, Blake Fielder-Civil.
It was not until she met Fielder-Civil that she started becoming addicted to the heavy drugs like heroine. From then on, the movie really highlights Winehouse’s uphill battles with drugs, alcohol, depression, and bulimia.
Winehouse tried going to rehab, but kept going back to the drugs as if it was something she could not live without.
There was a scene in the movie where Winehouse won her first Grammy and she pulled one of her friends to the side of the stage and said that she was bored being sober. She wanted to celebrate with drugs in her system.
Even though the young artist was greatly successful with hits such as “Rehab,” “Back to Black,” and her remake of the Zutons song, “Valerie,” the singer wanted nothing more than just to live a normal life and be loved.
"How big do you think you're going to be?" she's asked, "I don't," said Winehouse. "I don't think I'm going to be at all famous. I don't think I could handle it. I would probably go mad."
Filmmakers repeatedly show Winehouse being swarmed with paparazzi, barely having enough room to even walk on the street.
While Winehouse was vacationing in the Caribbean, her father showed up unexpectedly with camera crew and it was clear to see that Winehouse did not want them there. Her father also denied for her to go to rehab in the beginning of her addiction, but later knew that she really needed it more than anything.
After the media found out that she was taking drugs, she became the laughing stock of the media. It was clear to see that Winehouse was a very sensitive human being who was really hurt by what the media had to say about her and her addiction.
In the end, the 6-time Grammy Award winning artist knew that she had to get better, but did not have the confidence to do so. With the drug and alcohol addiction and her battle with bulimia, it caused her heart not function properly.
On one of her last doctor visits, the doctor told her to stop drinking completely because if she didn’t, then her heart could easily stop.
She later died of alcohol poisoning in July of 2011, but even throughout her addiction her musical legacy still lives on.
Jazz legend, Tony Bennett, once said, “The fact that she died at 27 years old is just horrible to me. If she had lived, she would've been right up there with Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington. It's just a tragedy."
