Amy Winehouse left behind scores of fans and friends who still mourn her today, four years after her death, and an upcoming documentary has been highly anticipated by many as a film that could shed some light on her final days. However, her family has spoken out about the movie, saying it contains “basic untruths” that leave the viewer with the feeling that they weren’t there for Amy just before her death.
“The narrative is formed by the testimony of a narrow sample of Amy’s associates, many of whom had nothing to do with her in the last years of her life. By misunderstanding the condition and its treatment, the film suggests for instance that not enough was done for Amy, that her family and management pushed her into performing or did not do enough to help her,” a spokesman for the family said on Monday.
Winehouse, who passed away from reported alcohol poisoning in the summer of 2011, was at the height of her career when she allegedly began having difficulty at shows–forgetting the lyrics and the names of her band members–and pulled out of several dates during a tour. Her father, Mitch, has always been an outspoken proponent for his daughter and her legacy, but says the documentary made him feel “sick” because it portrays him as an absent father.
“Amy would be furious. This is not what she would have wanted. I am painted as being an absent father during her last years. It gives the impression the family weren’t there,” Mitch told The Sun.
The film, titled Amy, is directed by acclaimed British filmmaker Asif Kapadia and will debut at Cannes in a few short weeks. According to People Magazine, the Winehouse family is considering taking legal action against the people behind the project. In a statement to the magazine, the filmmakers said the family initially gave their full consent, and that their team stands behind the project as it is.
“We came on board with the full backing of the Winehouse family and we approached the project with total objectivity. We conducted in the region of 100 interviews with people that knew Amy. The story that the film tells is a reflection of our findings from these interviews.”
