AMY

A little behind everybody else, I know, but today I finally got to sit down and watch the Oscar-winning movie, Amy, a documentary based on the life of the world renowned singer- before, during and after the fame. 

Throughout the two hour film I experienced a range of emotions. I felt sad, heartbroken, sick, shocked, angry, horrified and sympathetic. I wanted nothing more than to be there for Amy- a girl who was so clearly crying out for help in totally the wrong ways and receiving nothing. The drug addiction, the alcohol abuse, the slacking attitude towards her career, it all pointed to one thing- a very, very unhappy person. It broke my heart. Of course, we had all seen the infamous photos of the blood seeping from between Amy's toes through her light coloured ballet pumps at one of the peaks in her addiction; the nation had been scarred, stunned and shocked by them. But for me, personally, I had no clue that things had been quite as bad as they were. According to the film it was all over the media. I guess because I was fairly young, I didn't really pay attention. 

What angered me the most though was Amy's father. 

Prior to watching the film, I was already aware that her dad, Mitch, was unhappy with the film and is currently making a new film that 'more accurately' portrays Amy and the life she read. Well, having watched 'Amy', I can confidently say that the reason Mitch doesn't like the film is because it is too accurate. Not only does it show Amy at her best and her worst in a totally raw and true to life setting, it shows what a fail of a father Mitch was. He failed his daughter and if he had acted appropriately, I am almost certain that Amy would be alive today- or would have at least lived a few years longer than she did. 

When Amy's friends and management initially realised that Amy had a problem with drugs and alcohol, they begged her to go to rehab. She told them that if her dad said she needed to go, she would. But guess what? Her dad told her that she was fine, that she didn't need rehab. And so Amy didn't receive help (until a much later date) and instead produced the smash hit single "Rehab". 

Throughout the entire film, Mitch is always less than supportive of Amy going to rehab or receiving help and constantly pushes her to keep working, keep writing, keep doing shows- even when she doesn't want to. 

Amy's concert in Serbia showed her dismissing the fans, the concert and her career. She no longer cared.

At the end of the film, Amy goes on a break to St Lucia with her closest friends and asks her dad along. He comes- but with a camera crew in tow, trying to film the ins and outs of her life, which displeases Amy immensely, as the idea of her break was to get away from the cameras. Her dad just didn't seem to get it- and didn't seem to care either, which upsets Amy quite visibly.

By the end of the film, I was in tears. Amy's life is one I would have worked so hard to save if I had been able to. There were so many opportunities to help her, I could feel myself screaming at the screen- but of course, it's too late. And what could I have even done anyway? Nothing. It was a painful watch when it all seemed so obvious to me. 

As far as I can tell, Mitch was a totally negligent father. He didn't help Amy when she needed it most and refused to acknowledge that the reason she had these addictions in the first place was because of him. In the film, Amy says she's "fucked up" because her dad had an affair and left the family home, abandoning her, when she was nine. She began life on a downwards spiral since then, and she openly admitted this- yet her father still refused to accept responsibility for Amy's issues. 

It seems as though Mitch was desperate for the fame and the money, riding off of his daughter's success- something else that Amy commented on in the film, as this was how she felt. I can't help but to agree with her. And now that she's gone, he has no one to ride off of- so he's clinging onto the fading limelight but constantly bringing up this documentary that he hates so much and by making a new one. 

Of course, we will never know the whole truth, the whole story. That's something that died with Amy. But to me, it's time for Mitch to face the facts. You failed your daughter, Mitch. You failed Amy. So in love with the fame, the success, the money generated by her, you pushed your daughter into the best years of her life- but in the worst state she could have been in. There is a strong chance she would be here today if it wasn't for you- that's just how it is. 

If you haven't watched 'Amy' yet, I highly recommend that you do- it is available on channel 4 for the next 14 days. If you have watched Amy, let me know what you thought of it in the comments below! Is Mitch to blame? Could Amy be alive today had her father helped more? 

Love from,

Florence Grace

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