“I’m not a fucking Spice Girl,” says Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in the biopic “Back to Black” at her manager. That was certainly not the singer, who died of alcohol abuse at the age of 27: The Londoner did not allow her image to be imposed on her; in addition to her magnificent work, crashes and the toxic relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil made headlines. The conventionally told Back to Black attempts to convey the human drama.
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”) reflects on Winehouse’s musical career in passing in the film. The focus is on Amy’s addiction to addictive substances and her unfulfilled love for Blake, who – as he himself confirmed in an interview – introduced Winehouse to hard drugs. Taylor-Johnson works a lot with close-ups of Abela’s face in order to make the tragedy emotionally palpable, instead of using explicit images to recreate the physical altercation between Winehouse and Blake or the consequences of a drinking spree.
It works thanks to the British actress’s performance, even if in some scenes she looks less like Amy Winehouse and more like someone dressed up as Amy Winehouse (but that’s generally true of biopics, cover bands and rock musicals: you can never do justice to the originals). become). Abela’s performance as a singer deserves great praise; her performance appears more authentic than if she had moved her lips to original songs. She also conveys Winehouse’s speaking voice well (English version recommended, of course). Her male counterpart, Jack O’Connell, conveys the ambivalence of Blake’s character well on the screen.
Amy and Blake, commonly known as Abela and O’Connell, are often seen kissing deeply. Violence is more implied than shown – a scratched Blake’s face or a lost-looking Amy staggering through London with a bottle in her hand are also enough to illustrate this aspect of the relationship. The role of the British media in Winehouse’s fate is only highlighted in “Back to Black” through the appearance of paparazzi in a few scenes; the actual performance of the singer in the boulevard can only indicate this, that of the music industry is completely left out.
The music in “Back to Black” is great, as is the score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Winehouse’s live performances were solidly staged (such as her headline show at Glastonbury). The film was filmed in iconic locations such as the London district of Camden (including the Camden Canal, where there is now a statue of Winehouse). All in all, “Back To Black” is a typical biopic that shows segments of the truth, not an exceptional one, but not the worst either. If you really want to take a comprehensive look at the life and career of the fantastic jazz and soul singer, we recommend the Oscar-winning documentary “Amy – The Girl Behind The Name”.
Contrary to some tabloid reports in advance, the artist’s death is not shown in “Back to Black”. This fits with the generally respectful presentation of the singer by Taylor-Johnson and her team.