The Winehouse biopic makes us question the morality of biopics as a genre
(Source: Studiocanal UK)
With April came the release of Back to Black, an Amy Winehouse biopic directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. This movie triggered overwhelmingly negative responses before release– with many calling for it to be cancelled. The sensitive nature of the movie's subject matter, combined with the controversy surrounding the director has stirred some questions. Is it too soon to be making a biopic about Amy Winehouse, just 13 years after her passing? Should we be making biopics at all?
The Back to Black trailer was released in February and was met with harsh criticism. The trailer featured a clip of Marisa Abela, the actress playing Winehouse, singing ”Stronger Than Me”. This went viral on TikTok and X. Many called out the vocal performance, saying it sounded too forced, and not up to Amy’s standards. Some criticised the lack of vocal training and others questioned the decision to use the actress's real voice instead of Winehouse’s iconic, lounge singer voice.
Concerns and criticism first arose with the cast announcement back in January 2023. Questions had been raised: is this going to be an authentic rendition of Amy, and a true celebration of her life, or a lame attempt to extort her troubled story? The TikTok buzz, however, reignited the ongoing debate surrounding biopics: Should they exist? Or should we let these artists rest?
Bohemian Rhapsody (dir. Bryan Singer, 2018) and Rocketman (dir. Dexter Fletcher, 2019) have faced similar feedback from both fans and critics. Some argue that biopics exploit and focus on these artists' tragic stories for mere entertainment purposes. However, what sets Back to Black apart from these movies is that Freddie Mercury’s and Elton John's real voices were used, the actors' performances were stellar, and in the case of Rocketman, Elton John himself was able to give consent and input to the movie, giving it some authenticity. Although Rocketman was received favourably as a whole, and Bohemian rhapsody less so, Rami Malek's performance was undeniably showstopping. Responses to Back to Black may have potentially been exacerbated due to negative feelings towards the director, Sam Taylor-Johnson. For the uninitiated, she has faced public scrutiny for her marriage to actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick Ass, Avengers Age of Ultron). Although the two have been married for 12 years, their 24 year age gap and circumstances under which they met are not well accepted.
It could be that if another director had been involved, Back To Black may not have been judged so quickly, but it's important to acknowledge that 13 years may be too soon to see Amy Winehouse’s sad story displayed on the big screen. The final version of Bohemian Rhapsody was not in production until July 2016, 25 years after Mercury’s death. Even the previous incarnation of the film, with Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen, was only in discussion around 2010. Notably, no version of this film ever planned to include moments of Mercury’s life past Queen’s world-famous 1985 performance at Live Aid.
I did see Back To Black in the cinema and, although this is not a review, I thought I would quickly give my thoughts. It slightly exceeded my very low expectations, but I don’t think it’s worth seeing and would not recommend it. I judged Marisa Abela too quickly and do genuinely think she did an adequate job, however the script was lacking and she was certainly not given much to work with. Maybe it’s because I’m such a big fan, or because Amy Winhouse truly is one-of-a-kind, but I couldn’t get lost in this movie, it always felt like I was watching an actress trying to portray her. I would have appreciated more effort into making a believable Amy. If you’re going to go through all this trouble, make it worthwhile. It felt to me like the main goal of the film was to make me sad, to get me emotional. I often think films will overcompensate with emotion rather than a good script/direction. I don’t need to see a struggling Amy to be entertained. Although it’s clear that Abela is a good singer, I think they would have benefited from using Winehouse's vocals throughout. I would have preferred a story about her career and music, taking us through her albums and the process that went into each, instead of the in-depth story we got about her relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil. There were no cinematic or directional choices that stood out to me, and I found it a little forgettable. I don’t think this movie should have been made, with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 45%, I’m not the only one with this opinion.
It's a well known fact that the media and tabloids did not treat Winehouse well whilst she was alive, often capturing her lowest moments: repeated comments on her weight, reporting on her drug problems, and profiting off her misery. Back To Black, of course, has captured this- recounting Winehouse’s toxic on-off relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, her problems with drug misuse and drinking, and finally her death in 2011. It’s difficult to tell a thorough story of her life, and not include these things, but that’s the problem with biopics. They intend to dive into the artists' lives, and tell them from start to finish, in a 2 hour window. Too often biopics sensationalise the stories. They become the most emotional and most painful versions of these celebrities’ lives.
If we must dedicate movies to our favourite artists, let it be to honour them, their hard work, talent, and accomplishments. I’m not saying we should romanticise their lives and pretend they never struggled, but to focus solely on their difficulties feels exploitative and cheap. An example of a well done celebration of an artist is Brett Morgan's, 2022 documentary, ‘Moonage Daydream’. This focuses on the career of David Bowie, and was really a visual exploration of his creative, musical, and spiritual processes. I tend to find that documentaries appeal to me more than biopics when covering deceased artists' stories. Of course, not always, it really depends on the subject matter. But more often than not I find them to be more accurate. Although they may delve into an artist's turbulent past or stint with drug misuse, it’s usually for factual purposes, not amped up in the hopes of getting some tears from their audience. The same cannot be said for your typical Hollywood blockbuster biopic that will purposefully take the worst moments in an artist's life, reenact them for 2 hours, then release it to the world for their own avaricious purposes. If you can find a documentary made by a filmmaker, like Brett Morgan, who is genuinely interested in the artist then it may be worth a watch.
Edited by Cameron Cade
(Source: Holden Luntz Gallery)
Excellent article Holly