Amy

Winehouse fans are going to be all over this, as will anyone partial to obsession over dead musicians. 

Amy follows the journey of Amy Winehouse from angry British teenager to international R&B/jazz icon. The love for music and a ferocious study of jazz brought her into contact with her idol, Tony Bennett. Contemporary, Mos Def, brought her the attention of the entire world. And in the end all she wanted was to disappear. 

This doco is pretty rough, in both senses of the word. You look into drug addiction, eating disorders and her chaotic romance with Blake Fielder-Civil. The footage is unconventional; most of the film is pieced together from handycam tapes dating back to when Winehouse was 13. 

There’s cameo galore: Pete Doherty, Tony Bennett, Mos Def and Russell Brand. A lot of time is spent explaining mental illness, interviewing doctors, friends, bodyguards and managers as well as interviews with Winehouse. At one point Winehouse stresses that linking depression to musical success is ignorant and reductive, but does admit “lots of people can’t pick up a guitar for an hour and feel better” and “I write songs because I’m fucked up in the head.” 

If you’re an avid Amy fan, you’ll be shattered by this — especially when you realise what could have been, like the idea that she was about to start a band with Questlove and Mos Def.