Amy is a 2015 British documentary film that depicts the life and death of singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse and is directed by Asif Kapadia. The narrative is focused in Winehouse’s life, who was found dead on 23 July 2011 from alcohol poisoning, at the age of 27 at her home in Camden, North London. The film starts with a 1998 home movie of a 14-year-old Winehouse singing along with her long-time friend, Juliette Ashby, at the birthday party of their mutual friend, Lauren Gilbert, at a home in Southgate, London. The rest of the documentary shows the songwriter’s life from her early childhood, to her music career, which attained commercial success through her debut album, Frank (2003), the number one album of the 21st century, Back to Black (2006), to her troubled relationships, self-harm, bulimia nervosa, the controversial media attention, and her downfall via drug and alcohol addiction, all until her untimely death in 2011. Winehouse is featured throughout the film talking about her early influences and how she felt about fame, love, family and her music career. Kapadia conducted more than 100 interviews with Winehouse’s friends and family that combine to provide a narrative around the star’s life and is billed as “the singer in her own words”. The film shows extensive unseen footage and unheard tracks Winehouse had recorded in the years before she died. Unheard tracks featured in the film are either rare live sessions, covers such as “Moon River” from when Winehouse attended the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in 2000 or never-before heard songs the star wrote, such as “Detachment”, “We’re Still Friends” and “You Always Hurt The Ones You Love”. The film was selected to be shown in the Midnight Screenings section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and received its UK premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
