New Doc Provides Intimate Look at Troubled Star Amy Winehouse

WNYC News | Jul 10, 2015

When Amy Winehouse first burst onto the scene, she found commercial and critical success with her powerful vocals and throwback-soul sound. But it wasn't long before the singer's battle with drugs and alcohol and her hard-partying ways began to overshadow her actual music.

When she died at the age of 27, she hadn't put out a new album in nearly five years, and had become the subject of tabloid fodder and late-night talk show monologues.

But the new documentary, "Amy" by director Asif Kapadia,  provides a thorough reexamination of Winehouse's life. Through the use of home footage, as well as interviews with family and friends, Kapadia looks at how the singer waged her simultaneous battles with addiction and fame, and examines the toll Winehouse's daily tussles with the paparazzi took on her.

The film has been massively successful since its limited release last week on just six screens. It opens nationally July 10.

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