Back to Black
In cinemas now
No genre is arguably as hit and miss as the music biopic. Occasionally, it will deliver something as stellar as James Mangold’s Walk the Line, but generally its outputs are revisionist takes on the lives of deeply complicated individuals. At worst, they can even feel exploitative, especially if the subject is no longer around to tell their side of the story.
Thankfully, that last accusation is not one you could level at Back to Black, which mostly feels like a sincere attempt to celebrate the seldom seen, generational talents of the late Amy Winehouse. It is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, whose Nowhere Boy offered an exemplary analysis of the formative years of John Lennon, and features a star-making turn from Marisa Abela, who perfectly embodies the paradoxical mannerisms of Winehouse, who could be every bit as vulnerable as she was recalcitrant.
Abela is joined by a solid supporting cast that includes Eddie Marsan, Jack O’Connell, and Lesley Manville, although its the film’s diligent recreation of Winehouse’s unique live performances that live longest in the memory. Due in no small part to Abela’s impressive vocal performances, Back to Black captures the essence of the rare jazz-pop sound that saw its subject transform into one of the UK’s most successful musical exports.
However, the film suffers from the same unfortunate stage managed approach that made the recent Bob Marley: One Love such a forgetful affair. Given that it was greenlit by Winehouse’s estate, nobody should be surprised to see her father Mitch portrayed in such a sympathetic light, but it’s nonetheless a jarring experience for any viewer who has previously seen Asif Kapadia’s desperately sad 2015 biopic Amy, which was far less sympathetic towards him.
Writer Matt Greenhalgh has previously won plaudits for his 2017 feature Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool but the end product of this straightjacketed assignment is one that skirts around the issues that sadly defined Winehouse’s life - namely addiction and malevolent associates. While it’s not necessarily a bad thing to disassociate from those sad facts and celebrate her musical legacy, it does render Back to Black a rather hollow endeavour on the whole.
