The dazzling but short life of superstar Amy Winehouse gets the big-screen treatment with Sam Taylor-Johnson’s biopic Back to Black, which chronicles the life and music of the late singer-songwriter. Best known for her soulful vocals, the film follows the English singer from her early days as a raw talent bolstered by her loving and supportive family to her meteoric rise in the music industry, which ultimately led to her own destruction.
Played by a mesmerizing Marisa Abela, the film follows the songstress as she writes her iconic album Back to Black during one of the darkest times in her life, including her rocky relationship with partner Blake (played by Jack O’Connell), and her ongoing struggles with substance abuse and addiction that led to Winehouse’s tragic early demise in 2011 at age 27.
Filmmaker Taylor-Johnson celebrates Winehouse’s extraordinary talent and the legacy of music the singer left behind, while Abela’s poignant and passionate performance as the singer offers audiences a moving portrait of an artist who could have offered so much more, but whose light was cut short in the prime of her life.
Image Via Focus Features
