Social, Cultural and Political Contexts of Amy

 

Asif Kapadia's trilogy of documentary films, Senna, Amy and Diego Maradona are about talented and tragic young people who grew up in the media spotlight and the 'characters' in each of these films are presented as outsiders fighting against a powerful system. The fame of each of these individuals means that most viewers are aware of the ending - this is particularly the case with Amy Winehouse - and therefore the documentaries are about the individual's journey...

THE MEDIA

For many, Amy directly criticizes the media and its hounding of celebrities (it is certainly possible to argue that the media is the 'villain' of the piece) - the film, as is the case with many of Kapadia's documentaries, captures the life of a famous person in modern society in a media-saturated environment (much of the footage and many of the still images in the film come from the media) - and there is little doubt that the director believes the media played a significant part in Amy's downfall and death...