Back to Black {Movie Review}

There are some biopics that show the entire history of the person, as a young child until their death. Back to Black focuses on a segment of time in Amy Winehouse’s life – the making of the album with the same name, and explores the connection she had with her dad, husband, and grandmother.

In case you aren’t familiar with Amy Winehouse, here is a summary of the movie:

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.

In the film, we see Amy (played by Marisa Abela) working with her record label. She was unapologetically herself, wearing the clothes that she wanted to wear and styling her hair in an iconic beehive, which was encouraged by her grandmother. In fact, many of the tender moments we see on screen are between Amy and her grandmother (Mitch Winehouse’s mom) played by Lesley Manville. For me, it’s those scenes between Manville and Abela that give the movie its heart.

Of course, much of the film focuses on her turbulent relationship with boyfriend turned husband, Blake Fielder, played by Jack O’Connell. It’s heartbreaking to see someone with so much talent battle alcohol and drugs, while being in a dysfunctional relationship.

However, the film is also a celebration of Amy’s music and a reminder that she wrote or co-wrote every song on her album. Fun fact: Abela sang and recorded the vocals for Amy’s songs in the movie. In my opinion, she really captured the essence of Amy.

The movie is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, and I thought she did an excellent job giving a fuller picture of Amy’s life. It’s a delicate balance to show someone plagued by their demons, but we also saw the joy that she had with her dad and grandmother. As a fan of her music, I can appreciate this film that highlights the life of a talented singer, gone too soon at the age of 27.

Speaking of music, after the movie screening there was a celebration at the Sunset Club at The Edition Hotel. The guests enjoyed singing by the cover band, Dear Amy, and later there was karaoke performed by some of the attendees. Check out Dear Amy’s performance below!

My friend Sarah and I had a great time at the screening and party. Thanks, Focus Features for hosting us!

“Back to Black” opens today in theaters!
“Back to Black” is rated R.
Visit the official “Back to Black” website here for more information.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I attended an advanced screening of the movie which helped facilitate this review. Images shown in this post are used with permission. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.