---
title: "Amy"
year: 2015
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/amy"
fi1m_id: "amy"
imdb_id: "tt2870648"
tmdb_id: 331781
wikidata_id: "Q19803462"
fi1m_score: 81
critics_score: 79
critics_reviews: 17
published: "2026-09-16"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:02.634410+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Amy (2015)

Directed by Asif Kapadia · 2h 08m · MPA R · Documentary, Music

## Identity

Amy

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/amy
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** amy
- **IMDb ID:** tt2870648
- **TMDB ID:** 331781
- **Wikidata ID:** Q19803462
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2870648/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/331781, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19803462

**Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 79 from 17 reviews

*In a sentence:* We would happily have spent another hour in the studio with Amy Winehouse

> Asif Kapadia gives Amy Winehouse room to be funny and absorbed in music. His documentary is deeply moving, although we wanted more about her work and less about the people watching her.

## Synopsis

In home-video footage, a teenage Amy Winehouse (herself, in archive footage) sings *Happy Birthday*. *Amy* follows her towards a recording career, bringing together private recordings, performances and her own words with recollections from Juliette Ashby (herself) and Nick Shymansky (himself). She wants to sing and write, while the attention her voice attracts begins to put demands on the rest of her life. The early footage catches her humour as well as her singing, before public appearances start to crowd the picture. Her story emerges through these recordings, with contributors heard rather than seen.

## Review

*Amy* is a moving, carefully assembled documentary that gives Amy Winehouse room to be funny and musically alert before concern for her takes over. Asif Kapadia wants us to pay attention to the singer as well as the scrutiny surrounding her, and for much of the film he succeeds. The reservation is that the scrutiny eventually gets more attention than the singing. Even so, this is a portrait we recommend, particularly to anyone who knows the public image better than the voice.

The home videos establish how much the public image misses. We were moved by the teenage birthday performance, because the singing is so assured and the occasion so ordinary. Cinematographers Ernesto Herrmann and Jake Clennell are credited, but the most persuasive images here are those private recordings, whose informality lets us notice humour and ease alongside ability. The footage is valuable because it gives her something to do besides illustrate the trouble ahead.

Chris King’s editing brings those recordings together with performances and interviews heard rather than shown. Keeping the contributors off screen means we can listen to their recollections without repeatedly interrupting the archive footage. It is a useful discipline, although an unseen speaker can sound more authoritative than a person we can observe and question. The film flows with considerable confidence, and we occasionally wanted it to leave a little more doubt around someone else’s account.

The recording footage with Mark Ronson makes a strong case for spending longer on the work. Watching her perform gives us a clearer sense of musical judgement than any description of talent can, and her own lyrics help keep her words in the film. Antonio Pinto’s score is less useful when it presses towards sadness that the footage has already earned. We wanted more space to listen to her singing without having our response anticipated for us.

That is also the main weakness of the wider structure. As public and media intrusion occupy more of the film, the account of an artist starts to narrow into a study of what other people demand from her. The pressure is important, and the archive makes it difficult to dismiss, but it does not explain how she shapes a performance or turns experience into a song. At 128 minutes, there is room to ask more of those questions.

There is an awkwardness, too, in being given access to so much private material while being asked to think about the damage done by watching. The director cannot entirely settle that by treating his subject more kindly than the coverage he includes. What helps is the early footage, where her wit keeps disrupting the temptation to see her only as vulnerable. It is harder to feel comfortably protective towards someone who is plainly capable of making us laugh.

As a music documentary, *Amy* is strongest when it trusts a performance to hold our attention without explanation. As a portrait, it has the good sense to preserve the humour as well as the distress, which stops its subject becoming merely someone to feel sorry for. Watch it for the singer, and allow some patience for the film’s greater interest in everyone around her.

*Fi1m score 81, published 16 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find Asif Kapadia’s documentary an intimate, deeply affecting portrait that restores Amy Winehouse’s wit, personality and musical talent after years of tabloid scrutiny. Praise centres on the home videos, performance footage and audio-only interviews, which let her voice carry much of the story without conventional talking heads. The reviews largely credit this approach with making her troubles painful to witness without treating them as spectacle.

The disagreement concerns how far that sympathy allows for complexity, and whether the attention to celebrity crowds out the music. Vulture finds more attention paid to fame’s destructive effects than to the roots of Winehouse’s art, while Slant Magazine objects to the later sections’ moralising about fame and fandom. Most assessments remain positive despite such reservations; Little White Lies offers a sharper dissent, finding the film melodramatic and opportunistic, with too little insight into her interior life.

## Straight answers

**Is Amy worth watching?**

*Amy* is worth watching for anyone who knows Amy Winehouse's public image better than her voice, and we scored it 81. Asif Kapadia's documentary is deeply moving and gives her room to be funny and absorbed in music, though it spends more time on the people watching her than on the work itself.

**How long is Amy, and what is it rated?**

*Amy* runs 2h 08m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a documentary and music film.

**Where can I watch Amy in the US?**

*Amy* is streaming on HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and The Roku Channel in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $2.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Amy, and is it suitable for children?**

*Amy* is a 15 in the UK and R in the US, and contains no violence or scares; the certificate reflects adult subject matter around a singer under intense public and media pressure. It is unsuitable for young children and best for older teenagers and adults, and the distress of the later stretches is real, although the early home videos are warm and often funny.

**How does Amy compare to Buena Vista Social Club?**

*Amy* is the more moving film and [*Buena Vista Social Club*](https://film.one/film/buena-vista-social-club) the more musical one. Wim Wenders mostly lets his Cuban musicians play, so the pleasure of watching them work together gets the time it deserves, while Kapadia's portrait grows more interested in the intrusion around Winehouse than in how she shapes a song. Choose *Amy* for a life, *Buena Vista Social Club* for the playing.

**What should I watch after Amy?**

After *Amy*, try [*Buena Vista Social Club*](https://film.one/film/buena-vista-social-club) (1999, Fi1m 76): The pleasure of watching musicians work together gets the time it deserves. Then [*Pina*](https://film.one/film/pina) (2011, Fi1m 80): For another documentary that understands how much artists can tell us through performance.

### Reviews we read (24)

- **Film Comment**, Jonathan Romney (85/100, inferred): The film is an intelligent, empathetic and very moving account of a formidable talent and radiantly original personality. It inventories the gawkers and vultures around Winehouse while celebrating her joie de vivre. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/amy-winehouse-documentary-asif-kapadia/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as an accomplished, quietly devastating documentary that allows viewers to live Winehouse's life through its innovative audio-only interview technique and rich archival material. It singles out the portrayal of her extraordinary musical gift alongside the squandering of her talent. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-amy-winehouse-movie-review-20150703-column.html)
- **The Independent** (85/100, inferred): The critic calls Kapadia’s film brilliant and praises its refusal to assign simple blame for Winehouse’s death. It highlights the wealth of home-movie footage, archive material and interviews that trace her life from precocious teenager to tragic decline. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/amy-film-review-beautiful-film-reveals-ugly-truth-behind-singer-s-downward-spiral-10360282.html)
- **The AV Club**, Kyle Ryan (B+): The film offers a smart, nuanced look at Winehouse’s brief life, remaining grounded in her humanity through archival footage and voiceover interviews rather than salacious details. It praises Kapadia for treating the subject with respect and heart instead of turning it into an exploitative true-crime story. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/amy-takes-a-smart-nuanced-look-at-amy-winehouse-s-brie-1798184245)
- **Empire**, Phil de Semlyen (80/100, inferred): Kapadia’s documentary is described as vibrant and haunting, peeling back tabloid preconceptions with forensic home-video footage and research to reveal a more complex character. It commends the film’s light touch that lets viewers draw their own conclusions about the tragedy. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/amy-review/)
- **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4/5): The review calls it a shattering and sensitive documentary that gives equal weight to Winehouse's talent and tragedy, refusing easy answers and capturing her personality and music powerfully. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/amy)
- **Variety**, Guy Lodge (80/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as factually exhaustive and emotionally exhausting, noting its depth of feeling and archival breadth in chronicling Winehouse's rise and fall. It singles out the intimate access to private materials and the way it humanizes the singer without sensationalism. [Read](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/amy-review-cannes-amy-winehouse-documentary-1201493207/)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (75/100, inferred): The review finds the film most revealing about the teenage Winehouse and values its focus on her wit, sass and musical talent. It notes the absence of narration and the damning portrayal of those around her while acknowledging one reservation about a contributor’s portrayal. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/amy-film-review-portrait-of-a-tragic-heroine-full-of-wit-and-wisdom-10363497.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Chris Cabin (★★★): The film succeeds in conveying what made Winehouse engaging through archive material and interviews but becomes distastefully moralistic in its later sections, turning into a high-handed indictment of fame and fandom rather than a deeper exploration. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/amy/)
- **Vulture** (75/100, inferred): The documentary is alternately thrilling and devastating, focusing more on the lethal effects of celebrity and the circumstances surrounding Winehouse’s death than on the roots of her art, while featuring striking footage of her performing and recording. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2015/06/movie-review-amy-winehouse-documentary.html)
- **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): The critic highlights the archive-footage approach that rescues Winehouse from tabloid caricature, revealing her talent, troubles and the conflicted roles of family and others, while noting it is uneasy viewing. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/amy-review/5087453.article)
- **Little White Lies**, Sophie Monks Kaufman (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the documentary melodramatic and opportunistic, failing to delve into Amy's interior life, though it effectively highlights her bulimia as a key damaging compulsion. [Read](https://lwlies.com/festivals/amy-first-look-review)
- **Sight and Sound**, Jane Giles: The critic praises the film's use of archive footage to present Amy Winehouse's story through her own voice and images, highlighting her talent and the tragic circumstances of her life without wallowing in or glamorizing the tragedy, calling it essential viewing. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-amy)
- **The Guardian**: Asif Kapadia’s documentary is a sober, unsensational and overwhelmingly sad study of Amy Winehouse’s short life that eschews talking heads in favour of archive footage and her own lyrics. The critic highlights the heartbreaking portrayal of her talent, addictions and the toxic pressures of fame, while questioning the complicity of those around her. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/05/amy-winehouse-documentary-asif-kapadia-review)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Stephen Dalton: The critic describes the film as a tender, intimate, nuanced portrait of Amy Winehouse that uses archive footage and audio interviews to highlight her talent, charisma, and tragic self-destruction. It notes some glossing over of her behavior but overall calls it emotionally stirring and technically polished. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/amy-film-review-795578/)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (Critic's Pick): The critic calls the film a shattering biographical portrait that traces Winehouse's rise and tragic fall. It singles out the intimate use of archival footage and the haunting depiction of public and media intrusion into her life. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/03/movies/review-amy-an-intimate-diary-of-amy-winehouses-rise-and-destruction.html)
- **Collider**, Talia Soghomonian (A+): The critic calls the film a moving biography and tribute to Winehouse as an artist that avoids pathos while revealing her sensitive, insecure personality and exceptional gift for jazz interpretation. It singles out the insightful use of archival footage showing her talent and the damaging influence of those around her. [Read](https://collider.com/amy-movie-review-cannes-2015/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (5/5): The critic praises Kapadia's masterful storytelling that creates an emotional connection to Amy Winehouse, highlighting her talent and the tragic inevitability of her decline through intimate footage and editing. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/amy-review/)
- **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (B+): It's a gripping and brilliant documentary that effectively portrays Winehouse's life and decline, but questions the ethical implications of exploiting her story further. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-asif-kapadias-powerful-amy-winehouse-documentary-amy-20150630/)
- **Consequence** (80/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a disturbing yet empathetic reconstruction of Winehouse's rise and fall that highlights the vicious scrutiny of modern fame and the lack of intervention from those closest to her. It singles out the film's use of her own words and footage to demand a more compassionate viewing of her story. [Read](https://consequence.net/2015/07/film-review-amy/)
- **Eye for Film**, Robert Munro (80/100, inferred): The review describes it as an intensely sad and affecting look at a talented young woman ill-equipped for fame, praising the use of archive footage and Amy speaking for herself through performances. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/amy-2015-film-review-by-robert-munro)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond: The critic calls the film an unforgettable and compelling portrait assembled masterfully from remarkable footage and interviews without narration. He highlights the dazzling highs, darkest moments, and soaring musical talent on display. [Read](https://deadline.com/2015/07/amy-review-amy-winehouse-documentary-harrowing-unforgettable-1201467238/)
- **Paste**, Bonnie Stiernberg (9.0): The review hails the documentary as a celebration of Winehouse's immense talent and humanity that goes beyond mere tragedy, using home videos and performances to showcase her voice, wit, and songwriting. It singles out the unflinching portrayal of the enabling forces around her for criticism. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/amy)
- **The Wrap**: The critic describes the documentary as both biography and autopsy, an exhaustive chronicle that indicts those who took advantage of Winehouse while pitting celebrity against authenticity. It singles out the contrast between her musical maturity and emotional naiveté for praise amid some blind spots in the victim framing. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/amy-review-amy-winehouse-mitch-winehouse-blake-fielder-civil/)

## Details

- **Director:** Asif Kapadia
- **Director:** Asif Kapadia
- **Writer:** Asif Kapadia
- **Cinematography:** Jake Clennell, Ernesto Herrmann
- **Editor:** Chris King
- **Music:** Antonio Pinto
- **Producer:** James Gay-Rees
- **Cast:** Amy Winehouse as Self (archive footage); Mark Ronson as Self; Tony Bennett as Self; Pete Doherty as Self; Juliette Ashby as Self; Yasiin Bey as Self; Mitch Winehouse as Self; Tyler James as Self
- **Runtime:** 2h 08m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 10 July 2015
- **Genres:** Documentary, Music
- **Budget:** $3 million
- **Box office:** $24 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq4oqmUs92U

## Where to watch in the US

- HBO Max: streaming
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Hulu: add-on, hd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $2.99, sd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $12.99, sd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, sd

*Checked 2026-09-16.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, SE, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2016: Best Documentary Feature Film (won)
- European Film Award for Best Documentary 2015: European Film Award for Best Documentary (won)

## If you liked this

- *What Happened, Miss Simone?* (2015): Another singer’s work and private struggles, with more room for political conviction.
- *The Devil and Daniel Johnston* (2005): A musician’s homemade recordings open a difficult, affectionate account of creativity and illness.
- *Buena Vista Social Club* (1999), Fi1m 76: The pleasure of watching musicians work together gets the time it deserves. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/buena-vista-social-club.md)
- *Pina* (2011), Fi1m 80: For another documentary that understands how much artists can tell us through performance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/pina.md)
- *Monterey Pop* (1968): When the explanations have worn thin, spend an evening listening to the performances.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/amy