Amy Winehouse – Never Forgotten (2011)

Directed by: Tara Pirnia-Mehran | 64 minutes | music, documentary

When the news of Amy Winehouse’s death hit the world on Saturday, July 23, 2011, against everyone’s wishes, young Amy entered the gruesome ‘list of 27’, which lists all kinds of stars whose lives lasted no more than 27 productive and inspiring years. could count. The frequently heard and expected discussions immediately followed: had she not destroyed herself by her years of alcohol and drug abuse? Was her death even less sad for that reason? Fortunately, a few months after her death, that discussion has subsided somewhat and has given way to a focus on the wonderful quality of her music. Full of disbelief that her two albums would really be the only albums, a third, posthumously released CD was released, as well as this musical documentary about Winehouse’s short but impressive career.

Whether Amy Winehouse was indeed the best singer of the 21st century is a question that involves endless haggling. It is certain that her oeuvre moved many a listener to tears, inspired an army of new singers and her voice was one of goosebumps-inducing rawness. Not only could she cover every existing song in her own way, her own songs – performed live – never sounded the same twice. This made it seem as if she relived every song, with accompanying emotions, over and over again.

So nothing but praise for Amy, and rightly so. But then the movie itself. It is in fact set up as a report. And we know about music reports, they can go in different directions. For example, there are subtle music reports such as the Classic Albums series by the Belgian Canvas or other ‘Hour of the Wolf’-like documentaries that can offer very special insights into the life of an artist, band or album. At the other end of the spectrum are the MTV series such as ‘The Rise and Fall’ or reports from boulevard-themed channel E!.

Made by an unnamed director and compiler, this film occupies a bit of the middle of the spectrum, but ultimately leans too much towards the popular and superficial side. Not much news is told, and the film mainly zooms in on the problematic life of the young singer. When Winehouse released her debut album ‘Frank’ at just 20 years old, she left the world breathless. Because of her young age, turbulent private life and widely reported problematic marriage, little of her quiet London world remained. Both in the media and in this documentary, the emphasis is mainly on the decline and decline. Images of a drunk Amy, an emaciated Amy or a confused Amy have always been eagerly sought after by the tabloid press, and this film won’t let them pass either.
While the tone is predominantly jubilant of Winehouse’s musical qualities, the other side of her coin is portrayed almost as disaster tourism. Also, the parts where Amy’s clothes and hair are discussed tend to be gossip journalism. Because who are all those people who are allowed to have their say? Random passers-by, it seems.

The longer recordings of concerts are valuable, especially those with older images in which we see a young Amy singing the stars of heaven. With every musical effort of the film, the viewer forgets all context and only hears her voice and the moving lyrics she produces. Despite a film that does not do full justice to Winehouse’s oeuvre, it will indeed not soon be forgotten.