A few days ago I decided to watch the film “Back To Black” featuring Marisa Abela playing the role of Amy Winehouse. Now I understand I had no idea who she was until maybe about two or three months ago when my girlfriend introduced her music to me. I’m going to be honest when I say that I wasn’t the biggest fan but after listening to more of her songs I eventually began to enjoy her music. The song “Rehab” stuck out to me the most and when I found out she died back in 2011 of alcohol poisoning my mind was blown. Also had zero clue that she was British because I was getting Italian mother vibes from her but that’s beside the point. After gaining an interest in her music and life I decided to do some research to learn more about her. Let’s just say I did not expect a single thing that I learned about the life she lived when her music took over the world.
When I say research now I mean I read articles but I would be lying if my first instinct was to find a movie which in my case I did watch the movie first. “Back To Black” was the most recent adaptation of her life. I enjoyed the film and for someone new to Amy Winehouse, this movie did justice to showing her struggles with addiction. The subtle foreshadowing of her addiction gradually getting worse and worse helped ease you into the sad truth behind her death. One of the big reasons was her husband Blake, which didn’t even get me started with that sad excuse of a partner. He kick-started her addiction to drugs because before she met him she was against drugs in general. So over time between the stress of living the life of a celebrity and constantly being put through mental abuse from Blake. She used alcohol and drugs as a way to cope and push that pain away.
Watching this movie creates an emotional connection between you and Amy. You began to feel bad about what she was doing to herself. Of course, it was not completely her fault that her life ended the way you did but based on what I’ve seen and read. Her death was due to her own mistakes that were truly in her control. Many say addiction is like a disease but you can see it through the life Amy lived through that you have control over your actions. If she truly wanted things to get better which at one point she did because she went to rehab and got better before her relapse. She would have and could have done more to fix her addiction problem, and she was not alone either. Her father was the majority of the time preaching to her to get help to get better. It might be harsh to say but her death was mainly at her fault. Sadly, she passed the way she passed but at the end of the day, she could get better because she did once before, so she could’ve done it again.
Every moment that captured her struggle truly dove into the horrors of her addiction. Great storytelling mixed with practically perfect camera work helped give you that feeling of being a voyeur into the life of Amy Winehouse. This movie in my opinion is a must-watch even if you have no idea who she is just like I once did. To some, it might be a handful to take in because they did not censor much but to others like myself, this movie made me understand how difficult the struggles of addiction to drugs and alcohol truly are. Go watch the movie and if you don’t like it then welp that sucks. To hear more about my opinion of the film click the link below to the newest episode of my podcast!!
