There's no denying that what Celine Dion is going through is terribly taxing, and this documentary explains in spades why she's disappeared from the international spotlight.
It's quite difficult to watch the singer spasming into near paralysis -- I Am: Celine Dion begins with a viewer-discretion advisory about "powerful scenes of medical trauma." There are two shocking scenes of this, and there's much discussion online about the decision to film through the crises and include them in the documentary.
Throughout the film, Dion appears make-up free, tired, and weepy. The exception is when she needs to record cheerful greetings for others or she's spending snippets of time with her sons. A melancholy score is woven throughout.
Around the 20-minute mark, Dion takes the cameras on a tour of a warehouse full of couture clothing and designer shoes and other memorabilia, and she brags about fitting her feet into shoes that didn't fit. Home video footage is spliced in soon after showing a very pregnant Dion complaining in front of a closet with seemingly hundreds of shoes that she doesn't have the right pair to wear.
It's just one example of where the editing allows for a subtle critique of its subject, intentionally or not. It's hard to deny Dion's privilege or the fact that she has enjoyed more success and lived a fuller life than most. This isn't the film or the moment for gratitude or celebration of what has been. Yet surely her family and fans want to see her well, with or without future concerts.
Read the full review at Common Sense Media.
Images courtesy of Amazon Prime Video.
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