What We Know About The Documentary That Has The Internet In Tears
One of the greatest musical powerhouses of our time, Celine Dion is no stranger to making her fans emotional – usually through her spell-binding music. But now, the singer is causing more tears to spill, through a powerful new documentary.
Dion has long since been suffering with a rare, life-altering illness called Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) that she has refrained from going into details about in the public eye. In the trailer for her newly announced documentary, she says, “I was diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder, and I wasn’t ready to say anything before.” But now, she is ready to talk.
What is the documentary about?
Titled, “I Am: Celine Dion“, the documentary aims to give a raw, behind-the-scenes look at the superstar’s struggle with SPS and how it affected her career. “It’s not hard to do a show you know, it’s hard to cancel a show,” she says in the trailer, as she talks about how much she misses the stage, and the fans. In an interview with British Vogue, Dion says that she started feeling like something wasn’t right during her 2008 Taking Chances world tour. The 56-year-old singer began to find it difficult to control her voice and she struggled to even walk. This led to an ENT visit and an eventual diagnosis of a rare condition that causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms that worsen over time.
The documentary aims to shine a light on Dion’s battle with the illness and her fight to keep singing (“My voice is the conductor of my life,” she says) and serves as a love letter to her fans, highlighting the music that has shaped her life. Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion gives us a raw and honest behind-the-scenes look at the iconic superstar’s struggle and if the trailer is anything to go by, we can expect a truly inspiring tale of resilience, strength and a singer who refuses to let anything stop her from singing.
Over recordings of some of her most iconic songs including I’m Alive and It’s All Coming Back To Me Now, the trailer shows snippets of Dion performing on stage in her most iconic outfits, playing with her kids and meeting fans. Showing Dion at her sassiest to her most vulnerable, the documentary looks to be a tender, nuanced look at the singer’s life in music and her struggles with an illness that has tried to keep her from doing what she does best. Her resilience is central to the documentary, as she heartbreakingly says, “If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl.”
What is striking about the trailer, is the obvious love that Dion has for her life and her music. “I see my life, and I love every piece of it,” she says. “I miss it so much…the people,” she says, almost whispering as her voice falters. While we don’t know when we can expect to see the superstar back on stage again, one thing’s for sure, we miss her too.
I Am: Celine Dion comes out on June 25th on Amazon Prime.
