Meaning and Response: Representation and Aesthetics in Amy

 

REPRESENTATION

Age - early home video footage presents a young Amy as a typical teenager - naïve, fun-seeking, innocent - these shots appear towards the beginning of the film, instantly positioning the audience with Amy and presenting her as the victim (don't forget, the audience already knows how this will tragically end)...

Amy is largely presented as a young, tragic star

Gender - women vulnerable, men controlling - drugs, alcohol, fighting - not presented as stereotypically feminine?

Could consider the representation of Amy's father, Mitch, in terms of both age and gender. Amy's father has stated that he is unhappy with the way that he has been represented in the film, 'The film is representing me in a not very good way. There is no balance...It's portraying me and Amy in a not very good light' - he is certainly presented as one of the 'villains' of the narrative, through the choice of footage and decisions regarding editing...this may lead you to question the truthfulness of documentary as a cinematic form. Is the presentation of Mitch truthful or fair or have editorial decisions been made to fit Kapadia's agenda (of presenting Amy as a victim, manipulated and abused by the media and people around her). Kapadia responded to Mitch's criticisms with 'The clue is in the title. It is a film about her, and I think at various points of her life, a lot of people made decisions which were not about her and not in her best interests. And even now there are people who kind of think it's about them, and it's not about them.' - this gives some idea about Kapadia's focus and agenda when making the film...

It is certainly possible that you may feel that Mitch is unfairly treated OR that Mitch is most certainly the villain of the narrative - either way, what is important is that you consider the creative decisions that Kapadia has made that have made you feel this way. It is likely that this will lead you to consider the editing of the footage, the use of sound alongside elements of performance - which in turn will encourage you to see the documentary form as not simply actuality, but as a constructed text - 'true fiction' if you will.

Ethnicity - the presentation of Amy's Jewish identity?

AESTHETIC