Amy Winehouse died, and we all just watched. If there’s one takeaway from the new documentary Amy, it’s that our consumption of media related to her addiction played an active role in her death. Directed by Asif Kapadia and produced by James Gay-Rees—the same team responsible for the 2010 documentary Senna (also about a famous person’s death)—the film successfully demystifies the singer’s membership in the infamous “27 Club.” Throughout the film it becomes clear that Winehouse’s death was avoidable, but certain parties always seemed to circumvent her requests for help during a relapse. A large portion of the blame is placed on the shoulders of Winehouse’s parents, particularly those of her father, Mitch Winehouse, who left the family to marry his mistress when Amy was 10 years old. (Shortly afterward, she began to struggle with bulimia and continued to do so until she died.)
Although Kapadia began the project with the blessing of both parents, they’ve since disowned the film…