Amy (2015 film)
Amy is a 2015 British documentary film directed by Asif Kapadia and produced by James Gay-Rees. The film covers British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse's life and her struggle with substance abuse, both before and after her career blossomed, and which eventually caused her death. In February 2015, a teaser trailer based on the life of Winehouse debuted at a pre-Grammys event. David Joseph, CEO of Universal Music UK, announced that the documentary titled Amy would be released later that year. He further stated: "About two years ago we decided to make a movie about her—her career and her life. It's a very complicated and tender movie. It tackles lots of things about family and media, fame, addiction, but most importantly, it captures the very heart of what she was about, which is an amazing person and a true musical genius."[4]
Amy
Matt Curtis
Chris King
- Amy Winehouse
- Antônio Pinto
- Film4 Productions
- Krishwerkz Entertainment
- On The Corner Films
- Playmaker Films
- Universal Music
- 16 May 2015 (Cannes)
- 3 July 2015 (UK)
128 minutes[1]
United Kingdom
English
$3.4 million[2]
$23.7 million[3]
Amy premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, being shown in the Midnight Screenings section. Distributed by the Altitude and A24, it was released theatrically on 3 July 2015. The film received critical acclaim, garnering 33 nominations and winning a total of 30 awards, including Best Documentary at the 28th European Film Awards, Best Documentary at the 69th British Academy Film Awards, Best Music Film at the 58th Grammy Awards and the Best Documentary Feature at the 88th Academy Awards. The success of Amy and the music of its soundtrack also led Winehouse to her second posthumous nomination at the 2016 BRIT Awards for British Female Solo Artist.
Production[edit]
In 2012, Universal Music first approached film producer James Gay-Rees if the team behind the documentary film about Ayrton Senna would be interested in creating a project on Amy Winehouse.
On 25 April 2013, it was confirmed and announced that the team behind the documentary film Senna (2010), including director Asif Kapadia and Universal Music, were making a film about the late singer-songwriter.[8] It was revealed that the film would be very similar to Senna, and that unseen footage of Winehouse would be shown. Kapadia and Gay-Rees stated: "Everyone fell under her spell. But tragically, Amy seemed to fall apart under the relentless media attention, her troubled relationships, her global success and precarious lifestyle."[9] They introduced the project at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and it was said the documentary film would be released in 2015.[10]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Amy broke the UK box office record for the highest opening weekend of a British documentary film, grossing at £519,000 from 133 cinemas three days after its release on 3 July. It also enjoyed success in the US, earning £142,000 from just six cinemas before it expanded in the following weeks. The film scored a $37,002 site average in the US in three days. The film opened with $222,015 across six sites, with a location average of $37,002 – $10,000 more than Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) managed on its first weekend and even beating March of the Penguins (2005) 's $44,373 and the film had increased its box office peak after its initial release nationally on 10 July.[21]
Critical response[edit]
Amy received high critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 95% rating based on 227 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "As riveting as it is sad, Amy is a powerfully honest look at the twisted relationship between art and celebrity—and the lethal spiral of addiction."[22] Metacritic reports an 85 out of 100 rating based on 41 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[23]
Robbie Collin from The Telegraph rated the film as four out of five stars and praised the fact that "Amy Winehouse's glorious rise and heartbreaking fall is movingly documented by the director of Senna.[24] Guy Lodge from Variety stated that: "The rise and devastating fall of the gifted British soul singer is chronicled in this deeply felt doc from 'Senna' director Asif Kapadia."[25] Heat and Stylist both also rated the film five out of five, describing the film as "brilliant" and "unmissable". Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian gave the film five out of five, describing it as "a tragic masterpiece", and saying, "This documentary about the late British soul singer is an overwhelmingly sad, intimate—and dismaying—study of a woman whose talent and charisma helped turn her into a target".[26] Geoffrey Macnab from The Independent also rated the documentary five out of five, reviewed it as "brilliant" and "unutterably sad", and stated: "There were many, many contributory factors to Amy Winehouse going off the rails, which are explored in the effect of Amy".[27] According to The Guardian, Amy has been placed at no. 3 out of "The 50 Best Films of 2015 in Australia" at the end of the year[28] and has been placed at no. 6 out of "The 50 Best 2015 Films in the UK".[29]
Family's response[edit]
The film has been heavily criticised by Winehouse's father, Mitch Winehouse. He has distanced himself from the documentary, stating the film is "misleading" and "contains some basic untruths", according to his spokesman.[30] On 7 May 2015, Winehouse's father Mitch appeared on This Morning and described the film as "preposterous". He further stated: