Back To Black (15)

Back to Black is no sugar-coated biopic, but rather a truly sympathetic and overdue antidote to the harsh tabloid treatment Amy Winehouse often received in life. The director Sam Taylor-Johnson has chosen to focus on Amy’s relationships with her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, and her father Mitch. Marisa Abela is terrific as Amy, reminding us how young she was in spite of her tough image and extraordinarily mature voice. Remarkably, Abela did her own singing. Jack O’Connell is well-cast to portray the charisma of her much demonised husband Blake. Eddie Marsan gives us a bullish Mitch and the wonderful Lesley Manville plays Amy’s beloved nan.The score is by the great Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, adding a melancholic edge.