The life and music of Amy Winehouse, through the journey of adolescence to adulthood and the creation of one of the best-selling albums of our time.
A celebration of the most iconic - and much missed - homegrown star of the 21st century, BACK TO BLACK tells the extraordinary tale of Amy Winehouse. Painting a vivid, vibrant picture of the Camden streets she called home and capturing the struggles of global fame, BACK TO BLACK honours Amy's artistry, wit, and honesty, as well as trying to understand her demons. An unflinching look at the modern celebrity machine and a powerful tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent.—STUDIOCANAL
The film opens with scenes of Amy Winehouse's (Marisa Abela) Jewish family background, with her father Mitch (Eddie Marsan) and her grandmother Cynthia (Lesley Manville) both sharing their love for music and singing. Amy's close friend Tyler James hands his manager Nick Shymansky a demo tape of Amy's recording and is impressed by her talent. She then signs a contract with Island Records and releases her debut album "Frank" (2003).
After enjoying acclaimed success, her record label wishes to make some changes with her stage act, which Amy strongly disagrees with. Amy then reveals she needs some time off to live her songs, and then meets Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O'Connell) in a pub in Camden Town where they fall in love. Their relationship is soon troubled by Blake's cocaine addiction, as well as Amy's alcoholism and bulimia. After experiencing Amy's irritable behavior, Blake reveals he thinks they would be better as friends and wants to work on things with his ex-girlfriend Becky, which leaves Amy heartbroken. Before travelling to New York City, she learns her grandmother has terminal lung cancer. After a difficult period of these traumatic events all happening at once, she then gathers inspiration to write her second album "Back to Black" (2006), which becomes a global success.
Fortunately, Blake and Amy reconcile with each other shortly after the release of her album "Back to Black". They get married in Miami, Florida, much to Mitch's dismay. Soon afterwards, Blake is arrested for assaulting a pub landlord and serves a two-year sentence in prison for perverting the course of justice. Before he is released and as Amy has now become a drug addict, Blake reveals he has been undergoing counseling and informs Amy that he wishes for a divorce, as he wants a fresh start.
After various blackouts, Amy agrees to check into a rehabilitation centre, and later wins five Grammy Awards. Three years later at her new home on Camden Square, Amy is now clean of drugs and trying to tackle her alcohol dependency. After saying goodbye to Mitch, the paparazzi appear outside her gate and reveal that Blake has a new girlfriend named Sarah who has just had his baby. The film concludes with a tearful Amy singing "Tears Dry on Their Own" to herself and walking up the stairs to her bedroom. A postscript reveals Amy was found dead at the age of 27 on 23 July 2011 and her untimely death was caused by alcohol poisoning after a long period of sobriety and was laid to rest with her grandmother Cynthia.
