‘Back to Black’ – Review

As a chart-topping singer-songwriter, the late, great Amy Winehouse was an utterly one-of-a-kind talent who truly shone in her all-too-brief 27 years and produced two of the greatest albums of modern times. Now, her story is brought to the screen with music and pop, and audiences will find themselves entranced by Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Back to Black.

The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black that catapulted Winehouse to global fame. Told through Amy’s eyes and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film explores and embraces the many layers of the iconic artist and the tumultuous love story at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson is a filmmaker who always attracts attention with her varied and wide projects. She’s an artist who has developed a style of her own, and her attraction to the life and story of Amy Winehouse makes for a compelling experience. Taylor-Johnson takes us back to where it started and shows how a young Amy Winehouse with a talent for song and a desire to entertain would top the charts and cause an utter sensation before it all went to hell and ended in utter tragedy. Taylor-Johnson understands that she’s dealing with a complex persona and character in Amy Winehouse, and she doesn’t skimp on the highs and lows of her life and leans in to tell the full story of a life lived for the stage, where music and song were at the core of it.

Having already wowed with a strong performance in Industry, Marisa Abela makes a bold statement in her first leading role as Amy Winehouse, and she goes for it with this performance. You see her as Amy goes from this sweet, caring, family-oriented young woman to falling off the wrong side of the track when she meets Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O’Connor) – the reckless druggie/love of her life. Infatuated by Blake, Amy becomes all consumed by her bad boy lover and completely entangled in a self-destructive lie. It’s like she gets sucked into a vortex of infatuation. Her addiction to alcohol leads to weed and then heroin, and from there, she spirals into tragedy. The irony is that as she plummets personally, her popularity and talent peak. We see all the main events and, of course, her beautiful songs, and all of them reflect her experiences and all she knows.

Marisa Abela does a tremendous job of capturing Amy’s desperation, which she probably views as passion. It’s a raw portrayal of the highs and lows of her life from Abela, and she really impresses with her total capture of Amy’s accent, her acerbic mouth and her dramatic emotions. Abela shows Amy’s very vulnerable side through her performance, and you see the girl beneath the drug addict and the singer who doesn’t want fame and really just wants the simple things – to be a wife and a mum. It’s a weighty performance on behalf of Abela, and she doesn’t hide from the trouble that afflicted Amy in order to show a complete portrait of this multi-faceted artist. Backing her up is Lesley Manville, an utter legend on the stage, as Amy’s “Nan” Cynthia and the two have a wicked chemistry together.

Sam Taylor-Johnson really lucks up with an incredible crew to capture Winehouse’s life, and Back to Black has a look and vibe that are all its own. Cinematographer Polly Morgan is quickly leaving her mark on the cinematic craft, and her use of light and lenses captures a rich sense of colour and the artistic world in which Amy lived. Her work also helps to reflect Amy’s state of mind. Costuming and hair-makeup are also top-notch thanks to the talents of costume designer PC Williams, who does a tremendous job nailing the sartorial features of Amy’s fashion, the progressively thickened winged liner and over-the-top beehive, along with the neo-soul, retro romanticism that was a large part of Amy’s being.

And it goes without saying that Back to Black does have a truly fantastic soundtrack, and it’s amazing to hear Amy’s voice – yet you would never guess it’s not the lead actress, and Abela does a wonderful job, with her homage to the power of Amy’s true voice. Also wrapped into the whole production is a sense of Amy’s rough around the edges character and her own idea of feminism/girl power that was at the heart of all her work.

The tragic end of Amy Winehouse’s life was both shocking and deeply sad. However, there is a moment at the end of the film where Amy speaks once more to remind everyone that she wants people to hear her voice and forget their troubles. This message is touching and will resonate with audiences who will find Back to Black to be a unique film.

Image: Studio Canal