The first look at the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black, is here. The biopic is a never-before-seen look into Winehouse’s early rise to fame. The film, which is set to be released in theaters on May 10, will follow Winehouse during her process of creating her iconic album Back to Black and her perspective on the relationship that inspired the album. The actress set to play Winehouse is up-and-coming British actress Marisa Abela. The actress is still relatively new to mainstream Hollywood but has appeared in the Barbie movie and the Max series Industry.
Although there have been various documentaries and films about the late singer’s life, including the Oscar-winning film Amy, Back to Black was approved by Winehouses’s estate, according to Forbes.
But despite the Winehouse estate having blessed the film, some fans are unimpressed after watching the trailer. It’s no secret that biopics are tricky territory, and that fact remains with Back to Black. Fans of the late singer believe that a film at this point in the singer’s legacy is unnecessary and insensitive. Winehouse struggled publicly with drug addiction and mental health issues.
Unfortunately, Winehouse’s dependence on alcohol and drugs led to her untimely death in 2011 at the age of 27. Some fans believe that due to the fragility of her death, a biopic could be exploitative of the things Winehouse went through while she was alive. The Guardian asks a critical question: “Is it possible to make a biopic about an exploited young star that isn’t itself exploitative?” As the outlet argues, probably not.
There’s been a resurgence of biopic films in the last few years, and they seldom come without controversy. It seems fans are way more concerned about preserving the humanity of their beloved favorite artists rather than their “legacy,” which is completely reasonable. I compiled a few tweets of what fans had to say on the topic.
Although some fans think this upcoming biopic is unnecessary, others are excited about the film’s debut and can’t wait to look back on Winehouse’s incredible career.
We’ll just have to wait and see what this biopic has to offer. Hopefully, it does Amy Winehouse’s life story justice.