“Amy” is almost upon us. It’s been called “heartbreaking and extraordinary” by critics, and was met with a very warm reception at Cannes this weekend. A moving and powerful work, Playlist writer Jessica Kiang wrote in her review, “The greatest (and most useless) sorrow that Kapadia’s punchingly powerful film will leave you with is that, no matter how much you will want to, you cannot simply reach into the screen and save her, you can only bear witness once again to her tragedy and try to discern the lesson it might have to teach us.”
READ MORE: The 25 Best Music Documentaries Of The 21st Century So Far
Directed by Asif Kapadia, the celebrated and award-winning director behind race car doc “Senna,” a new trailer for the film has arrived. Here’s the official synopsis:
From BAFTA award-winning director Asif Kapadia (SENNA), AMY tells the incredible story of six-time Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse – in her own words. Featuring extensive unseen archive footage and previously unheard tracks, this strikingly modern, moving and vital film shines a light on the world we live in, in a way that very few can.
A once-in-a-generation talent, Amy Winehouse was a musician that captured the world’s attention. A pure jazz artist in the most authentic sense – she wrote and sung from the heart using her musical gifts to analyse her own problems. The combination of her raw honesty and supreme talent resulted in some of the most unique and adored songs of the modern era.
Her huge success, however, resulted in relentless and invasive media attention which coupled with Amy’s troubled relationships and precarious lifestyle saw her life tragically begin to unravel. Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at the age of 27.
But it should be noted that not everyone is happy with the film. Winehouse’s parents have called the documentary "misleading," while her fiancé, Reg Traviss, interviewed for the picture, has also spoken out. "Amy was a real person, and what the documentary makers have done – like so many others before them – is effectively attack her. They have taken her name and exploited her talent for their own ends, without taking the responsibility of reflecting the true person that she was," he wrote in a piece for The Telegraph.
A24 will open “Amy’ in New York & Los Angeles on July 3rd and nationwide on July 10th. Watch the new trailer below.
