Back to Black, 2024.
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson.
Starring Marisa Abela, Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan, Lesley Manville, Juliet Cowan, Bronson Webb, Ansu Kabia, Harley Bird, Michael S. Siegel, Matilda Thorpe, Ryan O’Doherty, Jeff Tunke, Izaak Cainer, Tracey Lushington, Sam Buchanan, Pete Lee-Wilson, Thelma Ruby, Anna Darvas, Spike Fearn, Liv Longborne, Kumbi Mushambi, Therica Wilson-Read, and Miltos Yerolemou.
SYNOPSIS:
The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.
Amy Winehouse warned record label 19 Management that she was no Spice Girl and wasn’t lying. Played in Back to Black by Marisa Abela in a star-making phenomenal performance capturing artistic talent, toxic co-dependent love, and self-destruction, Amy Winehouse is an explosive combination of attitude, impulsivity, confidence, and fragility. Marisa Abela also undertook taxing lessons to vocalize like Amy Winehouse, doing the singing herself, expanding the range of an already dynamic acting turn, which is also a creative choice that pays off since director Sam Taylor-Johnson uses the lyrics and songs to staggering emotional effect.
Perhaps that sounds like a cliché, and there’s no denying Back to Black has no shortage of those (it’s about a musician and their downward spiral into hard drugs, for crying out loud), but whether it is the expressive body language from Marisa Abel, striking shot compositions often utilizing mirror reflections to emphasize a sloshed state of mind (or a sense of broken, fragmented life), the uneasy but believable chemistry pulsating throughout her love and Jack O’Connell’s Blake Fielder-Civil’s love, or the measured, respectable depiction of addiction in its many forms, this is mostly impactful filmmaking that overcomes familiar notes.
Part of that comes from the idea that while Blake – knowledgeable about music and a bad boy – introduces the already alcoholic Amy Winehouse to heroin, there is a sincere, unhealthy love that is mentally productive for neither of them. The life of Amy Winehouse is not a spoiler, so it’s fair to reveal that, arguably, the most devastating scene comes when an incarcerated Blake explains that he has been locked up for so long that he is basically clean. The questions and reverberations regarding what that means for the marriage and Amy Winehouse period are gut-wrenching, with Marisa Abela excellently conveying conflicting feelings.
It also helps that that same sense of addiction (possibly even obsession) comes through in the song lyrics. Falling back on songs and cinematic performances sometimes feels lazy because a film generally tries to broadly use the music to cover an extensive part of a celebrity’s life. Here, the passages and renditions are more direct and personal. All of it stings.
That is also not to say Back to Black is perfect, honest, and unfiltered. This is still a biopic sanctioned by the family, so there are reservations to be had about flattering portrayals of Amy Winehouse’s father, Mitch (Eddie Marsan), contradicting the tremendous documentary Amy from several years ago. However, Sam Taylor-Johnson and screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh are also less blunt about the contributions to that downfall. Sure, there are corny moments early on with Mitch condemning weed to his daughter with the subtlety of a DARE afterschool special, but also bits where his motives seem more opportunistic about getting her away from Blake rather than genuine concern. Blake is also wisely depicted as both a blessing and a curse to her already unstable mind. Meanwhile, the hounding paparazzi are present, but rather than shoved in one’s face, they are depicted as harassing in a more nuanced manner that looms over the story.
The connections between Amy Winehouse and others important to her, such as her grandmother Cynthia (Lesley Manville), formerly a singer and a huge inspiration to her musical taste and ambitions, could be fleshed out more. A lung cancer diagnosis for this beloved grandma comes across as more fuel on the fire to send Amy Winehouse spiraling, although it does on a resulting in a nuanced, shattering moment where she mentions that she is done smoking. It is eerie and almost haunting knowing that someone on the verge of death is quitting their bad habits cold turkey and that, even after going to rehab, similar vices will continue to consume Amy Winehouse.
As for what is fact and fiction, whether or not the movie has artistic merit should be all that matters. Do people want the actual self-destructive traits of Amy Winehouse to be sanitized? If so, wouldn’t that make for a film that is an even larger pile of bullshit, especially to the fans and purists? There is no denying that there are some eye-rolling depictions of real people here, but it would be equally disingenuous to shy away from the part Amy Winehouse played in her tragic demise. It’s okay to have toxic men while also acknowledging that this flawed woman had her demons.
A case could be made that the film could have done a stronger job getting to the root of those issues, but what is here is still a heartbreaking portrait of someone’s talent and struggles. Regarding the accuracy of the documentary Amy and this narrative biopic Back to Black, the truth probably falls somewhere in the middle. There also isn’t much reason to be up in arms when the center performance and examination of self-destruction is layered and restrained in its inspiring yet tormented portrayal.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
