After seeing his life dissected in Amy, Oscar-winning documentary by Asif Kapadia, Amy Winehouse returns for a biopic. She takes on the features and voice of Marisa Abela and we believe it. Back to Black by Sam Taylor-Johnson, (50 Shades of Gray) gives the impression that the singer is indeed back among us to share her life of success and pain. “I considered the role more as an incarnation than as an imitation,” explains the actress to 20 Minutes.
An Amy full of life
The journey of this young Englishwoman who died in 2011 at the age of 27 is centered on her music and on her explosive and toxic relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil. “My film is not a documentary: I wanted to bring back to life an Amy Winehouse full of life and humor,” declares Sam Taylor-Johnson. The image that was shown is often that of his excesses and his sorrows but it was also very funny. »
Not only Marisa Abela made the face of the missing star with her jet black sauerkraut and her trowel-applied rimmel, but she has actually rediscovered its vitality and charisma. Her Amy Winehouse proves very touching from the first scenes where she tries to impose her musical style on a producer who tries to format her. She is also moved when she lets herself be advised by her grandmother, a strong woman whose affection has long helped her combat a depressive temperament.
A complex personality
Would Amy have been Winehouse if she had felt better about herself? “She used every element of her life to nourish her music and I hope the film reflects that fairly,” insists Marisa Abela. The film does not hide her attacks of violence, particularly against her husband, nor her addiction problems. Obviously, her songs – which the actress covers in a stunning way – and the cult album which gives its title to the film are just as much highlighted as the singer’s relationships with those close to her. “Recreating the concert scenes was one of my biggest challenges,” admits Sam Taylor-John. These galvanizing moments make the star’s descent into hell all the more poignant as we know she is doomed.
No anonymity possible
“She couldn’t go to Alcoholics Anonymous,” explains the director. Anonymity was forbidden to her, which clearly prevented her from healing as she was constantly in the spotlight. » The public feels great compassion for this overly sensitive young woman trying to find a precarious balance in the alcohol and drugs that will cause her downfall. The sequences where Amy Winehouse is stalked by merciless paparazzi are truly heartbreaking. “The film also talks about the relationship our society has with celebrity. Amy paid a high price for her fame,” insists Marisa Abela. This sensitive portrait is a way of paying homage to this flayed soul who was a great artist and whose loss resonates like a terrible waste.