Here we go again with another biopic. BACK TO BLACK focuses on singer Amy Winehouse (Marisa Abela) and her iconic voice, who was taken from us way too soon back in 2011, at just 27 years old. I have voiced my opinion about biopics in the past, so I'll be brief. In my opinion, biopics are made to give the audience an in-depth look at somebody who made their unique mark on the world, considering the good AND the bad. Nobody is perfect. You can't just show us what happened to them. You have to dive deeper into the person beyond their fame. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson has made a dark fairy tale version of Amy's life, from her perspective. Her toxic love story with Blake Fielder-Civil is portrayed here, my favourite scene being when they meet. This feels like the sanitization of who she was as a person. It feels too safe, too studio-led. This reminds me of BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE. When the families of the subject get involved, most of the time it loses its creative flair, at least to me. This movie's saving grace though, is Marisa's breakthrough performance. She perfected Amy's mannerisms, her grit, even her voice. Marisa actually sang in this! She hadn't even sung before filming this. She carries BACK TO BLACK on her shoulders. Saying that, I'm not sure you need to see this in the theaters. I do however, recommend you see the amazing documentary AMY, which I still remember to this day.
Review of Back to Black
