Amy Winehouse’s music and the imperfect feminine energy that she embodied is in a renaissance lately. The artist’s first and last big album, Back to Black, has gained a new following in the past several months. Many have called this album the greatest breakup album of all time, and have also spoken to the ways that her songs articulate feelings that only her brilliant songwriting could. While Winehouse bears her soul on these records, making all listeners feel that they know her intimately, there is a whole story that is left unheard due to Winehouse’s unfortunate untimely death. This is why Amy on HBO Max is a must-watch for all that consider themselves a Amy fan.
Through home videos and personal anecdotes from those that knew the singer-songwriter best, a more comprehensive image of the artist is created. A greater understanding of the demons that Winehouse was facing and the events in her life, particularly her tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, brings the experience of her music to a whole new level. It also gives back a lot of the dignity that has been taken away from Winehouse, as the rhetoric surrounding her legacy has focused on her battle with addiction.
In addition to providing an inside look into the personal life of Winehouse, the making of some of her biggest hits like “Tears Dry on Their Own,” “Unholy War,” and “Rehab” are shown in detail, including Winehouse’s actual writing in her diary of the poems that she transferred into songs. It is easy to stream a song, connect with the lyrics, and appreciate the artist without giving thought to the creative process that it took them to reach the product that we are lucky enough to have. Amy gives justice to this process and to all of the people behind a song that are not credited enough.
In addition to adding needed perspective and a fresh lens on Winehouse’s story and music, the documentary is a beautiful and eerie look into the impact of fame, drugs, and toxic relationships on an individual. As our generation looks to Winehouse’s music to get us through tough times, we should also look at her life as a reminder of how fragile life is, and how that fragility is what makes life beautiful.