'I am: Celine Dion' review- The documentary highlights the immense pressures that Dion, gifted with extraordinary talents, faces behind the spotlight
Celine Dion
Film: I am: Celine Dion
Cast: Celine Dion,
Director: Irene Taylor
Rating: 3/5
Runtime: 102 min
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“I don’t want to sound dramatic but I could have died” - these words uttered by Celine Dion lend context to her struggles with growing instances of painful catatonic paralyses known as Stiff Persons Syndrome, a rarest of rare conditions that affects one in a million.
The documentary comes with a warning, “The film contains powerful scenes of medical trauma. Viewer discretion is advised.” So you are basically set-up for a mournful portrait of the Diva struggling with the rare neurological disorder that made it increasingly difficult for her to sing and perform at shows.
Irene Taylor’s depiction allows for all the sadness, hurt and regret to come through. The sadness that she cannot hit the ‘high notes’ she was celebrated for, anymore. The hurt that this could happen to her soon after the loss of her beloved husband, at a time when she was most vulnerable emotionally. And the regret that she has had to cancel or truncate several shows without exposing the true nature of her condition. Taylor’s crew even happen to catch a shocking scene involving Dion in the midst of a very painful seizure.
Celine Dion reminisces “ When your voice brings you joy you can be the leader. People remarked that Celine Dion was the one who sang the highest note ever. Now with SPS its difficult to reach the high notes.” Interprescing curent camera capture with past home video and archival footage, Taylor paints a picture of the Diva that is heartrendingly poignant. We see her dedication, persistence, and hard work that have earned her the success she enjoys today. For a girl who grew up with 13 brothers and sisters in a small province in Quebec, Dion achieved a pinnacle that is pretty much hard to emulate.
The documentary gives us glimpses of the good times with her Manager and husband Rene, moments when she was pregnant, some of the time she spends with her three children, the episode she did with The Jimmy Fallon show and several moments from her recordings and concerts. Short versions of songs featured here include ‘Power of love,’ ‘Rag Doll,’ ‘Le ballet,’ ‘Treat her like a lady,’ ‘Ashes,’ ‘All by myself,’ ‘Alive,’ her duet with John Farnham in Australia, ‘My heart will go on,’ ‘I am,’ and ‘L’amour’ from Carmen.
This documentary portrays the superstar as human and physically flawed. It highlights the immense pressures that Dion, gifted with extraordinary talents, faces behind the spotlight. It’s difficult to see her world fall apart, as she grapples with health related and professional challenges, unsure of her next steps. We see her trying her best to get back to being ‘The Voice.’ Her recent tryst with a film role in the Priyanka Chopra featured romcom ‘Love Again’ and the recording of the song for that film bring home to us the difficulties she faces while trying to get her voice back on track. She talks of the need for pills to get through her performances. This film was shot over a period of 12 months and we see Dion venturing out from her Las Vegas mansion only three times.
We see her comforting herself by revisiting the past in her 12,000-foot warehouse containing all the items and accessories she used for her numerous performances. Witnessing her struggle to sing through her pain gives us an inkling to the strong will, resilience and dedication that has honed her craft. “Love affection, attention, music is my foundation. I am because of my family,” she says in one of her candid moments on camera. Her devotion to her craft and love for family is pretty much evident. It’s her battles with SPS and her struggles with her voice, that have become the crux of her existence now. “If I can’t run I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl” - this statement clearly tells us that Celine Dion is fighting strong and not willing to quit anytime soon!
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