Amy

Considering that I never cared for Amy and never listened to her songs, this documentary managed to blow me away. Yes, there were definitely moments in her life that are worth emphasizing, showing just how people... well, what kind of assholes they are and how they can destroy a person. But what I have to appreciate the most is the direction, because this is so well done that even I, a non-fan, was swept away. (29.10.2015)

Let me first briefly comment on the situation itself. It’s a display of how low people can go and even how atrocious they can be behind the closed doors of show business. Seeing how even in the "serious" media, people literally make fun of those who actually need help, is enough to make you puke. Of course, addicts are responsible for their behavior, but in some cases there’s no alternative but to offer them a helping hand. Except for about two songs, I didn't know much about Amy Winehouse, so when I saw the news about the concert in Belgrade, I just shrugged it off as news about a junkie. I did feel sorry for her, because absolutely any listener who isn’t completely tone-deaf can tell that she had incredible talent. I could go on about similar cases. Just off the top of my head, Charlie Sheen, whom everyone makes fun of for his drinking - when I watch his earlier movies and series, the talent is there and now seeing his face destroyed by booze and drugs, it's just sad (another case might be Britney Spears, who Craig Ferguson talks about for this particular reason, since he had to go through similar shit). Of course, you can argue that they are spoiled celebrities and it serves them right because no one forced them to do any of that. All the more reason to watch Amy, where you can clearly tell that if you are drawn into this mess by your loved ones, the way back can be damn hard. The documentary itself is excellent, and Kapadia proves that few people can make documentaries like he does. An absolutely deserved Oscar, but let’s face it, Senna is two levels better. (30.07.2016)

It's very reminiscent of the Ayrton Senna documentary for two reasons. Both personalities are both equally iconic, with breathtaking talent and similarly shrouded in various myths and legends, having lost their lives at a relatively young age when they still had a lot ahead of them in their careers and private lives. Also, the documentary style is very similar in both cases. A sort of collage of film footage interspersed with handheld camera footage, capturing with utmost authenticity the famous singer, especially in her private life, in the form of "home videos". The haunting sound of concerts and studio recordings is unfortunately unpleasantly brought down for my taste by the long running time and a lot of extra monologues of people who seem to be there. Senna had much more drive. (29.08.2015)

Ray or Walk the Line, feature-length biopics about the dramatic lives of music legends, are fine examples of great filmmaking and acting. But the documentary Amy has the same daringly long runtime and irreplaceable *authenticity*, which gives it a more tangible depth. In addition to being a portrait of a music star, it is also a character study of a humble but spontaneous woman who can stay true to herself in the face of the seductive trappings of fame, but cannot keep her cool when she falls for a wrong, equally spontaneous but self-destructive partner and lets him destroy her life. It’s not just emotional, but also food for thought. (06.08.2015)