2015 Movie Picks: AMY

It's that time of year when all the critics rush to list their favorite films of 2015, and I'm no exception. More of a fan than a critic, my passion for film requires a diet of at least a movie a week, not counting TV movies. I'm ready to share more laudatory than critical takes on the stories, actors, directors, and others who made magic on the big screen. I invite you to come along for the ride as you beef up on the movies before the awards shows launch into full swing...gotta hurry since some are already announcing! Check each day for the latest post.

AMY

See the trailer: AMY the Documentary

Before I saw the documentary AMY, I knew nothing about Amy Winehouse or her music, except that she died after a battle with addiction. If you missed out as well, check this 2007 performance at the Isle of Wight: Me and Mister Jones.

The documentary is such an emotional juggernaut that her death now strikes me as a tragic case of a gifted child left out in the cold. From the beginning, home movies capture a young girl whose spirit and talent flicker raw, rare, and uninhibited. But there's also a captivating vulnerability that hovers throughout, begging for protection behind the exaggerated eyeliner and beehive hairdo. Nevertheless, a talent this profound ultimately leads to discovery and fame, and, unfortunately, indulgences, experimentation, and exploitation follow. 

Through it all, the old-soul voice soars, sultry and convincing beyond her age and what one might expect to be her life experience. The film feels intimate, personal, voyeuristic to the end. Like so many others before her, there was no one to save Amy from herself. Director Asif Kapadia has done a masterful job assembling priceless film and video selections to depict Amy's evolution as a young Jewish girl and singer molded by her Camden upbringing in north London, a philanderer father who left when she was nine, reckless lovers, exploitive handlers, and loyal girlfriends. Clips of her performances, interviews with musicians, and a recording session with Tony Bennett reveal the burning light that was Amy, a five-time Grammy winner on par with Billie Holliday and a handful of the greatest female songstresses. Fingers crossed for best documentary.