I Am: Celine Dion

One of my favorite genres happens to be documentaries since there is always something one can learn from. "Life Itself", "Murderball", "Supersize Me", "Fed Up", "The Corporation" to name a handful of past documentaries come to mind, but "I Am: Celine Dion" has got to be one of the most sobering ones I have seen in years. 

"I Am: Celine Dion" gives us a raw and honest behind-the-scenes look at the iconic superstar struggle with the life-altering rare neurological disease Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) which affects the nervous system and the muscular system and affects one out of a million people. Serving as a love letter to her fans, this inspirational documentary highlights the music that has guided her life while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit. 

This film was directed with compassion, passion and grit by Academy Award winner Irene Taylor ("Hear and Now" '07, "Beware the Slenderman" '16, "Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements" '19, "Leave No Trace" '22, "Trees, and Other Entanglements" '23) plus shorts. This was an exhausting, powerful and gripping film that Taylor simply captured with such pathos and compassion without pity. She shows how, through Dion's support, i.e. her twin sons, her Physical Therapist, her managers and other family members and associates, how she traverses herself from day to day to overcome this hideous illness. It's such an incredible talent that Taylor has in editing with an amazing connection between Dion's personal and professional life all the while attempting to improve herself so as to rid of SPS. The poignancy of the sequencing of the film was captivating and, at some places, a tough watch. I can't imagine any other director being able to showcase Dion through this process as well as she did. What a trooper Celine Dion is by going through all she has and continues to do. 

Kudos to Celine with her honesty with her fans and to her family, friends and associates for being there every step of the way and will continue to do so. Unfortunately, this was only a one weekend release in the theaters, however, since it was released by Amazon Studios/MGM, it will probably stream on Amazon or even Netflix soon. I recommend this film for all to see. Talk about learning something from documentaries. This will undoubtedly be nominated for an Academy Award for best Documentary come that time. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                      Rated: PG                                          103mins.