Monday is the day our cleaning lady comes, and so we walked down to the movie theater this afternoon to allow her to work in peace. The documentary about Amy Winehouse was playing right then, and since it was something we wanted to see, that all worked out. At 1 PM on a Monday, I was surprised that the auditorium was not empty; in fact there were probably 20 of us there to watch the ultimately tragic story of an undeniably talented young woman.
My knowledge of Amy Winehouse was restricted to facial recognition, her song Rehab, which was the punchline of many jokes about her, and the fact that she died at the age of 27, but not of an overdose. I was unprepared for the charisma that the video footage revealed; I didn't think I would like her. Nothing is ever simple, though, and this movie portrays the complexities of talent, success, and the desire for fun and pleasure, especially in someone so young. I think Tony Bennett said it best near the end of the movie. "Life teaches you how to live it if you live long enough."
As Winehouse sang Valerie and the end credits rolled, I leaned over to Heidi. "That's going to win the Oscar," I whispered.
"How do you know?" she whispered back.
The screen went blank and the lights came up. "Look-- not a single person left, yet."
My knowledge of Amy Winehouse was restricted to facial recognition, her song Rehab, which was the punchline of many jokes about her, and the fact that she died at the age of 27, but not of an overdose. I was unprepared for the charisma that the video footage revealed; I didn't think I would like her. Nothing is ever simple, though, and this movie portrays the complexities of talent, success, and the desire for fun and pleasure, especially in someone so young. I think Tony Bennett said it best near the end of the movie. "Life teaches you how to live it if you live long enough."
As Winehouse sang Valerie and the end credits rolled, I leaned over to Heidi. "That's going to win the Oscar," I whispered.
"How do you know?" she whispered back.
The screen went blank and the lights came up. "Look-- not a single person left, yet."
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