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United Kingdom · 2015
Rated R · 2h 8m
Director Asif Kapadia
Starring Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Tony Bennett, Pete Doherty
Genre Documentary
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An intimate look at the life and career of Amy Winehouse through archival footage and interviews with those who were close to her. Beginning with her emergence as a powerhouse talent in her teenage years, this documentary follows her worldwide success and the struggles she encountered along the way.
Kapadia leaves it up to the audience to determine whether Winehouse's situation could truly have gone another way. Whether he has or hasn’t captured the true essence of the singer may require further debate, but what’s beyond question is that Amy is an extraordinary, powerful work.
Time Out London by Dave Calhoun
Anyone with a beating heart will be forgiven for allowing it to break during this unflinching and thoughtful account of the life and death of the soul singer Amy Winehouse.
Screen International by Fionnuala Halligan
Amy is a cautionary tale - she was the Janis Joplin of our age, and as it’s the media age, we get to see the full price of fame this time as a fragile talent self-combusts. It’s not a pretty picture.
Amy also turns the camera back on the viewer who saw, mocked and ignored Winehouse’s descent as it transpired across the media landscape. How could the world collectively denigrate a woman whose addiction was destroying her? In this era of reactionary social media it’s a warning to all of us to be wary of stoning the next Amy in the digital town square.
Hardly innovative in form, but boasting the same depth of feeling and breadth of archival material that made Kapadia’s “Senna” so rewarding, this lengthy but immersive portrait will hit hard with viewers who regard Winehouse among the great lost voices not just of a generation, but of an entire musical genre.
It's a gripping and thoroughly effective, perhaps even brilliant piece of biographical documentary filmmaking.
Whereas Senna had that one moment of horrible impact, this latest tale is the story of one long car crash.
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
It is an overwhelming story, and despite everyone knowing the ending, it is as gripping as a thriller: Kapadia has fashioned and shaped it with masterly flair.
The Telegraph by Robbie Collin
Kapadia’s film is many things: a Sherlockian reconstruction of Winehouse’s arcing path across the skies of superstardom, a commemoration of her colossal talent, and a moving tribute to a brilliant, witty, vivacious young woman gone far too soon. But above all, it’s a perceptive examination of the singer’s need for love – from her friends, family, colleagues, husband and public – and the ways in which that need went unmet, or was exploited, at the times it ached in her the most.
The Hollywood Reporter by Stephen Dalton
As a whole, Amy is an emotionally stirring and technically polished tribute, its sprawling mass of diverse source material elegantly cleaned up, color-corrected and shaped into a satisfying narrative.
After writing letters to her son in the guise of his father, a woman is conflicted when the truth threatens to reveal itself.
A police officer and a drug lord become embroiled in a cycle of revenge, with each man bent on taking the other down.
No talking heads, no interviewees, just Brando on Brando and life.
One of the few documentaries I have seen about a musician that I feel does the artist and their life justice. This film rightfully critiques the public's treatment of Amy, and it is infuriating to watch how she was constantly critiqued and bullied. It is also incredibly emotional to see the beginnings of her career and Amy's blossoming talent and spirit.