Back to Black: Movie Review

Cast: Marisa Abela, Jack O'Connor, Eddie Marsan, Lesley Manville

Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson

The legacy of Amy Winehouse once again comes under the spotlight in director Sam Taylor-Johnson's biopic which only soars in parts thanks to an utterly compelling lead in relative unknown Marisa Abela.

Taking a very much once-over-lightly approach to Winehouse's life, the film details the flaky start she faced as she pursued her jazz singer/ pop star dreams, the love affair she had with Blake Fielder-Civil (O'Connor in full Pete Doherty wideboy mode) and her ascent while battling addictions.

You'd be wise to have some idea of times in Winehouse's life because the film is less interested in connecting the dots and timelines together, and is more concerned with providing a vibe to proceedings, rather than making something that's critical. (For that, it's possibly best to spend time with director Asif Kapadia's excellent doco, Amy).

As a result, Back to Black feels more like a jukebox musical with key songs being rolled out not by backing tracks but by a stellar performance from Abela, who in some scenes seems on the verge of dislocating her own jaw due to the emphasis required.

She, in fact, is the sole reason to stick with the two hour film.

Despite being saddled with an extremely formulaic and weak script that's filled with holes (and was okayed by Winehouse's estate), Industry star Abela makes her Winehouse a little more than a mannequin wearing some of the singer's iconic outfits.

There's a fragility to her Winehouse as she battles against herself - and conversely, there's an utter joy when she chases her own personal highs throughout. A pub-set initial meeting with O'Connor's Blake lays all the seeds for a soulmate meeting (albeit one that would turn toxic) and both O'Connor and Abela fizzle with natural chemistry here.

But it's in the quieter moments with her beloved Nan (played with great dignity by the ever-brilliant Manville) that Winehouse's tenderness comes to the fore, thanks to Abela's performance. It is here the humanity shines through and the singer gains more grounding than a million shots of singing and crowd montages could ever make or fake.

As a superficial take on the Amy Winehouse story, director Sam Taylor-Johnson's film is beautifully shot, with a richness emanating from the screen.

But as a celluloid representation of her legacy, it is perhaps left found wanting - even with its superb lead, when it comes to the pantheon of great musical drama biopics, this seems destined to sadly fade Back to Black.