REVIEW: Marisa Abela stuns as Amy Winehouse in the new Back To Black biopic

Hot Press was part of the audience that packed into the Light House cinema last night for the preview screening of the new Amy Winehouse biopic, Back To Black.

A film of this kind is only as good as its star turn and Brighton actor Marisa Abela delivers big time with an extraordinary performance that, come next February, will doubtless be in the BAFTA running.

From her mischievous grins and high-heeled totter to her outrageous flirting and spookily accurate vocal phrasing, any doubts you might have about Abela's characterisation go out the window as she doesn’t so much play as inhabits Amy.

The same age, 27, as Amy was when she died and from a similar Jewish background, Abela had been destined for a career as a human rights lawyer before opting instead to go RADA, which is law’s loss and our gain.

With the detailed cradle-to-the-grave account of her life having already been provided by 2015’s meticulously researched Amy documentary, director Sam Taylor-Johnson is free to offer a stylised snapshot of her career, which starts with early pub gigs and her subsequent signing to Island Records who quickly realise that what Amy wants, Amy gets – with bells on.

As for the love of her life, Jack O’Connell’s portrayal of Blake Fielder-Civil starts off all cheeky cockney chappie and becomes more nuanced as the mutually destructive nature of their relationship emerges.

Dad Mitch is treated more sympathetically than he has been at times in the past while Janis barely features other than to play the proud mum when Amy wins one of her five Grammys.

Back To Black doesn't pull any punches, though, when it comes to the extent of Amy’s anger management issues – the sight of Blake’s face scratched red raw is a shocking one; her twin drug and alcohol dependencies; and how appallingly she was treated by the paparazzi who had a vested interest in her very public unravelling.

While there can be no happy ending, there are frequent examples of how wickedly funny Amy was – if piss-taking were a sport, she’d have won Olympic gold – and a romantic visit to the zoo with Blake that will give you an instant Ready Brek glow.

We're further reminded that her career didn’t start with ‘Rehab’ – lyrically, ‘Fuck Me Pumps’ might just be her finest hour – and that Amy held zero truck with the Spice Girls’ version of ‘girl power’.

Back To Black gets extra marks for The Shangri-Las’ ‘Leader Of The Pack’ soundtracking Amy and Blake’s first meeting in the Good Mixer, its Nick Cave-penned score and his and Warren Ellis' 'Song For Amy', which plays over the closing credits and brought a golfball-sized lump to this journalist’s throat.

Trying to condense a career as complicated as hers into a 122 minute film is no easy task and means that not every aspect can be explored fully, but thanks in no small part to Marisa Abela's talents, Back To Black does Amy and her fans proud.