‘Back to Black’ Director Sam Taylor-Johnson Defends Positive Depictions of Amy Winehouse’s Dad and Ex-Husband in Biopic: ‘We’re in Her Perspective’
variety.comAlex Ritman Sam Taylor-Johnson has pushed back against criticism of how “Back to Black,” her Amy Winehouse biopic starring Marisa Abela as the late iconic singer, depicts some of its main characters.
The Focus Features film finally lands in the U.S. today, more than a month after it released in the U.K. with StudioCanal. For all the noise and controversy leading up to its release on home soil, “Back to Black” was met with mostly positive reviews, with Abela’s lead performance — in her big screen debut — singled out for praise.
But that’s not to say there hasn’t been some disapproval, mostly over how it depicts Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse, and former husband, Blake Fielder-Civil.
Mitch has been the subject of scrutiny since Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning in 2011, portrayed in the British media as a fame-seeker who exploited his daughter’s success to aid his own singing career (something echoed in Asif Kapadia’s Oscar-winning 2015 documentary “Amy”).
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