A24 has released the first Amy trailer and poster online. The documentary chronicles the talent of singer Amy Winehouse and the tragic circumstances that led to her death at the age of 27.

Looking at this trailer and the positive buzz, I’m hoping that director Asif Kapadia will bring the same level of insight that he did to his previous documentary Senna. The question I still have about Amy is his approach to a young woman who was extraordinarily talented and died early, and how this isn’t a cautionary tale. Winehouse isn’t the first, nor will she be the last, artist to have this kind of sad story. Coincidentally, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin also died when they were 27, so I ask (and this is without personal judgment on her as a human being), "Why is Amy Winehouse’s story unique?" Based on the good word out of Cannes, I’m eager to find out.

Check out the Amy trailer and poster below. Amy will open in New York and L.A. on July 3rd, and expand nationwide on July 10th.


Here’s the official synopsis for Amy:

From BAFTA award-winning director Asif Kapadia (SENNA), AMY tells the incredible story of six-time Grammy-winner Amy Winehouse – in her own words. Featuring extensive unseen archive footage and previously unheard tracks, this strikingly modern, moving and vital film shines a light on the world we live in, in a way that very few can.

 

A once-in-a-generation talent, Amy Winehouse was a musician that captured the world’s attention. A pure jazz artist in the most authentic sense – she wrote and sung from the heart using her musical gifts to analyse her own problems. The combination of her raw honesty and supreme talent resulted in some of the most unique and adored songs of the modern era.

 

Her huge success, however, resulted in relentless and invasive media attention which coupled with Amy’s troubled relationships and precarious lifestyle saw her life tragically begin to unravel. Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at the age of 27.

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