Expectations surrounding the Amy Winehouse biopic put director Sam Taylor-Johnson in an announced trap. She favored the great film Nowhere Boy, from 2009, a biography of John Lennon‘s youth, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, which was interesting and not so “protective” of the artist’s legacy. However, we were right when the news broke that the singer’s family “approved” and “loved” what Sam was preparing. Never can a biography be 100% to one side’s liking, especially a controversial artist like Amy. Result: the film has been massacred by global critics.

Authenticity and transparency are two attributes that have always deserved priority, but how do we balance this with the undeniable “control of the narrative”? One of the most cited examples is Bohemian Rhapsody, which was a mega success, won an Oscar, and only belatedly aroused criticism regarding even changing dates in history, softening points that could upset Freddie Mercury‘s family and thus having a controlled version of how they wanted us to remember from him. More recently the control reached such a point that Madonna wrote the script and would direct the film about herself, with the archived Live to Tell.

Through it all, Rocketman was one of the most open about Elton John, with no half-hearted talks about his drug use or insecurities along the way. Neither Elvis nor Priscila pleased everyone, always leaning towards simplification that spares the protagonist from being judged. Back to Black, unfortunately, appears to be one of the worst examples of this type of controlled release.

We had already seen this when they tried to film Whitney Houston‘s life: all films fail when they need to address drug use and the same-sex affair that she did everything she could to hide her entire life. In Back to Black, Amy is shown as the opposite of her honest lyrics, full of profanity and personal references. She is transformed into a soul destroyed by the fame and exposure that was partly a painful part of her life, but nowhere near the main one. Anyone who has seen the wonderful documentary Amy, from 2015, has a better idea of everything than the film. In fact, I recommend it.

The failure of Back to Black immediately calls into question Michael Jackson‘s biopic, Michael, also approved by the singer’s family. Although director Antoine Fuqua guarantees that nothing will be left out, it is very unlikely that the pedophilia accusations will be “clarified”. And the singer’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, who looks just like his uncle, won’t be exposed, I’m sure.

Do you know what is fairer? What Janis Joplin‘s family does. They don’t allow anyone to try to retell her story, they block any attempts. The Rose, from 1976, with Bette Midler does not fit into a biopic for this reason. Yes, it’s blatantly “inspired” by Janis, but it’s not her. Only the documentary Love, Janis (another unmissable) was approved. In it, they talk about many of Janis’ problems with drinking and drugs, but they transform an unfinished romance into a great love story. True? We don’t know, but it’s beautiful.

It would have been better to have paid attention to the pain of Amy Winehouse, who hated the side of fame in which she had to talk to journalists, be photographed or exposed. Her happiness was only in the music. Too bad they still want to force her to sing. It breaks my heart.

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