"I want to be remembered for being a singer," intones Amy Winehouse (Industry’s Marisa Abela) early on in director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s biopic of the iconic London singer. It’s a noble sentiment, especially given Winehouse’s tabloid-created infamy: her struggles with drink and drugs were regularly splashed across the front pages in the lead up to her untimely death aged 27 in 2011.
Unpacking Winehouse’s story, from the time of her debut album Frank to the creation of her hugely successful follow-up Back to Black, this holds back on the muckraking as it attempts to celebrate her work.
Back to Black marks scripter Matt Greenhalgh’s reunion with Taylor-Johnson, 15 years on from their collaboration on Nowhere Boy, which chronicled the life of future Beatles star John Lennon. Here, we get a glimpse of Winehouse’s family life, with nan Cynthia (Lesley Manville) and cabbie dad Mitch (Eddie Marsan), as she moves up the music industry food chain – from being managed by 19 (Simon Fuller’s company, which previously signed the Spice Girls) to joining Island Records.
