Honoring Amy Winehouse: The Story Behind ‘Back To Black’

Amy Winehouse is the next late, great artist to get the biopic treatment, after films like Elvis, Maestro, and Rocketman have made it a pretty significant trend in recent years. Winehouse’s meteoric rise and tragic death will be told through the lens of director Sam Taylor-Johnson, whose film Nowhere Boy, an exploration of John Lennon’s early years, first brought her acclaim in the genre over a decade ago.

Back To Black specifically explores Winehouse’s origins, as well as the writing and development process behind her legendary album of the same name, which catapulted the singer to international acclaim in 2006. “Painting a vivid, vibrant picture of the Camden streets she called home and capturing the struggles of global fame, Back To Black honors Amy’s artistry, wit, and honesty, as well as trying to understand her demons,” the film’s logline reads.

Winehouse is played by Industry’s Marisa Abela, who dons the singer’s iconic black eyeliner and big hair look by the end of the clip. When first look images of Abela in costume dropped early last year, reactions were… mixed, to say the least. But while Abela, even in the real clip, certainly has a different visage to the woman she’s portraying, this might be a nice salve to the opposite trend of actors going out of their way to potentially look too much like their subjects. Jury’s still out.

“I want people to hear my voice and just forget their troubles,” Abela’s Amy says as the album’s title track plays in the background. For the uninitiated, Back To Black is what we would now describe as a “no-skip” album, launching tracks like “Valerie,” “Rehab,” “You Know I’m No Good,” and “Tears Dry On Their Own” into the world. The film received its blessing from the Winehouse estate, so definitely expect to hear more than a few of these songs when it drops.

In addition to Abela, the film features Jack O’Connell as Winehouse’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, Eddie Marsan as Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse, Juliet Cowan as Winehouse’s mother, Janis Winehouse-Collins, and Lesley Manville as Winehouse’s grandmother, Cynthia Winehouse.

Back To Black premieres May 10 in theaters.