As usual, I was scrolling through TikTok the other day, when I came across a video of someone talking about the teaser for the Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black. I’d heard that a biopic about her was in the works and was interested to learn that fans were not happy with how the biopic was looking. I’ve never been a huge fan of Amy Winehouse, but I enjoy a few of her songs like Valerie, Rehab, Back to Black. I was interested to learn why Winehouse fans were so against the making of this film.
It seems that the general consensus among Winehouse fans on TikTok is that the actress playing her, Marisa Abela, is not doing her voice justice. Winehouse has a very particular blues and jazzy voice that is hard for most to replicate. Her style is so unique and so important to her career, that many fans are outraged with the portrayal of her in this teaser.
Another thing that I noticed once I started to do some research into the biopic was that it is being directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, who, to put it simply, has her own controversial public opinion. Her relationship with actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been criticized for their age gap and the timeline of how their relationship started. The couple is still married with children today, seemingly very happy. However, she is a director that I do not enjoy supporting because of what happened in the past.
Another criticism of the film is the portrayal of Winehouse’s character. Some fans are worried that the film’s focus will remain on her substance abuse and body image issues rather than the artistry of her work, which is a valid concern. It’s never fun to focus on the stuff that was “wrong” with someone. It’s nice to focus on how a person impacted the world around them and what they left behind after their death.
