“Back to Black” is a biopic about Amy Winehouse that is treated as a love story in the hands of director Sam Taylor-Johnson. While the approach is quite faulty, particularly in depicting the English singer’s struggles in the latter half of her life, Marisa Abela’s performance and Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ score are some of the few positive facets worth watching the picture for—making the journey less rock than it is.
Amy Winehouse had one of the most beautiful voices any artist could ask for. Her voice was grounded in old-school jazz and blues. But she also had the chops to gnaw on every emotion due to the personal anecdotes attached to each record. Unfortunately, tragedy struck way too early. Winehouse passed away at the age of 27 with only two studio albums to her name. Everybody who enjoyed her music, no matter to which degree, held her dear to their hearts. (You’d hear “Me & Mr. Jones” in my household from time to time.)
The Legacy of Amy Winehouse
When the “Amy” documentary was released in 2015, everyone saw new sides of her, both as a multi-faceted artist who drew from her life to record her tracks and as a loving, charismatic (yet saddened, on the inside) person. It was a brilliant doc by Asif Kapadia—a portrait of a beloved artist that is very detailed and personal. But now, nine years after its release, a biopic about Amy Winehouse’s life has surged. Immediately, people were furious. Fans worldwide drew concerns about how the director at the helm of that project would approach the situations that led to her tragic passing. Of course, everyone would want the project to honor her memory and legacy without dwelling on some form of exploitation with the topics of alcoholism and drug addiction.
A big problem arises in the process. The film ends up as a fifty-fifty division between admiration and obduracy. Titled after the English singer and songwriter’s second album, “Back to Black” arrives in the hands of director Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”), who approaches the project as a love story—contained within the mold of the run-of-the-mill biopic—about success, devotion, and forthcoming cataclysm. While the film has some vital elements, such as Marisa Abela’s leading performance and the sonic, beautiful score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Taylor-Johnson and screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh don’t know how to handle Amy Winehouse’s struggles in the latter half of her life.
The Journey That Began with Endless Opportunities and Ended in Tragedy
“Back to Black” follows Amy Winehouse in her musical and romantic journey from the years of her debut “Frank” to her untimely death. Played by a strong Marisa Abela, Amy is climbing up the music industry’s ladder as she leaves her life behind for a more flourishing one. She’s destined for the stars. Her voice pierces everyone’s hearts as she pours her soul into each brilliant record produced. We see her transition from the 19 management to Island Records, which comes with more responsibility and fame. However, things begin to get interesting when we are introduced to Jack O’Connell’s Blake Fielder-Civil, the man who will later become her husband and pave the way for their substance abuse—which was very severe, as Amy dealt with those troubles as her career elevated to a superstar level.
One side of their relationship is presented in the film: their love and admiration for one another, hence the fairytale approach that Sam Taylor-Johnson picks up (more on that later). However, the darker territories Amy walked through during this relationship aren’t tackled fairly, dismissing the heroin abuse and nearly disguising her problems as “self-inflicted” rather than because of Fielder-Civil—who later admits in an interview that it was his fault. This is the film’s most significant (and most notable) fault. The creation of the titular album is diminished due to how Greenhalgh covers the devastating turns that took place during those days. Bad influences were all around her, slowly destroying the life she created for herself.
It doesn’t feel perverse, as these well-documented details were nearly erased from the project. But, if you know about the singer’s life and struggles, you feel an unsettling wind beneath the film’s wings. Immediate comparisons between “Back to Black” and “Amy” arise because of their respective approaches to these topics. Whereas the documentary covered every inch of these hardships in saddening detail, the biopic tends to hide them. Viewing them from a different angle sometimes feels slightly exploitative when considering what Kapadia demonstrated. I know Sam Taylor-Johnson doesn’t want to create a project similar to Kapadia’s or something in the same vein as such.
Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Love Story Approach to ‘Back to Black’
Taylor-Johnson does something similar with “Back to Black” as with “Nowhere Boy”—her John Lennon biopic covering his early years and complex relationships with his mother and aunt. Yet, with a slight twist, some will buy more than others. The film has the regular, run-of-the-mill biopic structure that we are used (and equally tired) of seeing. However, Sam Taylor-Johnson adds a love story and fairytale-like element that helps cut some corners. Though in some points, I feel that it shouldn’t be as such. This adds some intriguing dynamics to the story. The characters react to these big life changes through many emotions. Some of these moments are lively (recording sessions, scenes of passion). Meanwhile, others are quite the opposite.
This division covers the film in an uncomfortable haze that haunts each scene in the latter half of “Back to Black.” The love story approach makes the film feel like a tragic fairytale. It is not in the same vein as Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” yet some elements feel reminiscent of it. However, there is quite a difference in the emotional core and significance. While many elements help develop this feeling, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ score adds to it the most. Each piece they concocted for the film brings a melancholic feeling to the scenery. Their compositions have an angelic quality, which helps set the mood for the romance and tragedy within the tale.
Cave and Ellis, both brilliant musicians, are experts at creating this effect, whether it is in the way of eeriness (“Blonde”) or mythologization (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”). It is a beautiful score that helps the viewer feel the emotions the director is failing to transmit to us watching. They immerse you into the project even though the narrative isn’t doing so successfully. In addition to the score, another aspect that elevates the film is Marisa Abela’s performance as Amy Winehouse. She is just fantastic in her portrayal. The actress doesn’t particularly look the part completely. However, she does a great job with the role due to her focus on minor details.
Marisa Abela Shines in the Leading Role
It is almost like an Austin Butler in “Elvis”-type situation. He doesn’t have the exact look, but his mannerisms and expression complete the picture. Regarding the singing, Abela doesn’t match the correct tone (yet, who could; nobody can if you’d ask me). Yet that doesn’t mean her vocal performance isn’t magnetic. You sense her admiration for Winehouse and her records, capturing the raw emotions and pouring them onto the screen. Marisa Abela does her best with the material given to her, providing a touching performance regardless of a wonky screenplay. In conclusion, “Back to Black” doesn’t do anything to break free from the pop artist’s biopic structure. It is one of the many that has great performances all around with a lazy structure.
Sam Taylor-Johnson fails to provide an interesting angle to explore the legendary artist’s complex, troubled life. Sometimes, it is passionate and delicate, while in other circumstances, it feels obstructive. She wants to see her story in the vein of a fairytale. Is she effective in doing so? No, she is not even close. But there are a handful of interesting moments scattered across the film. The complete dismissal of the project isn’t warranted due to this approach alone. There is still a score for Cave and Ellis and Marisa Abela’s strong performance. There is a semi-fractured and unfocused biopic with some slight touches of brilliance remaining hidden by writer Matt Greenhalgh (who evidently lost his touch since “Control” in 2007).
“Back to Black” hits U.S. theaters on May 16th, 2024.
