I Am: Celine Dion – a 'raw, heartbreaking and deeply moving' documentary
Prime Video's film chronicles the singer's 17-year battle with stiff person syndrome

It's standard procedure for showbiz documentaries to claim audiences will "never have seen their star like this before". In the case of "I Am: Celine Dion", "it is actually true", said Neil McCormick in The Telegraph.
Prime Video's film chronicles Dion's 17-year battle with stiff person syndrome – a rare neurological disorder that causes stiffness and painful muscle spasms. Perhaps worst of all for "one of the most technically gifted singers of our time", is the devastating impact the chronic condition can have on the voice.
The "Queen of Power Ballads" is seen in the throes of a "full-blown existential crisis" as she struggles to come to terms with the implications of the illness. Forgoing her usual glam attire, the Dion we see is make-up free with "granny glasses" and a bun, "wobbling precariously between denial, despair and defiance" that the "version of her life and self" as a singer is over.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Directed by Oscar-nominated documentary-maker Irene Taylor, "I Am: Celine Dion" brings together archival material spanning the star's four-decade career, with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage dating back to 2021 when she was forced to cancel her Las Vegas residency.
This isn't your average "vanity project" deceptively palmed off as a documentary, said Suzannah Ramsdale in the London Evening Standard. It is a "raw, heartbreaking and deeply moving" glimpse into the isolated life of an exceptionally talented singer "cut down in her prime".
The film's starkest and "most shocking" insight into Dion's condition is an almost 10-minute "unvarnished" recording of the Canadian singer experiencing an agonising spasm. "At the risk of being cliche", said Adrian Horton in The Guardian, the only word that sprang to mind when watching Dion consent "via grunt" to being filmed when she is being immobilised by a seizure is "brave".
There are lighter moments, said McCormick in The Telegraph. During an "amusing monologue about fashion fetishism", Dion tours her 12,000-sq-ft warehouse where she keeps all of her couture outfits, shoes and trinkets in a "perfectly maintained museum to herself".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
It's all very "personal and sincere", said Peter Debruge in Variety, but it's also "managed to within an inch of its life"; you get the feeling that Taylor didn't want to include anything "her subject didn't approve of". Still, she creates a "moving portrait" of the singer, peppered with "clearly unrehearsed" moments that capture Dion's humour and warmth.
All in all, said Lovia Gyarkye in The Hollywood Reporter, the film is "as much about the singer" as the realities of living with a chronic illness. The "visceral glimpse" into her pain offers a "jolting reminder" of the impact the condition has had on Dion, "not just as a star, but as a person".
Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.
-
6 sporty homes with tennis courts
Feature Featuring a clay tennis court in New York and a viewing deck in California
-
Critics’ choice: Seafood in the spotlight
Feature An experimental chef, a newspaper-worthy newcomer, and a dining titan’s fresh spin-off
-
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl: Much glitter, little gold
Feature Swift’s new album has broken records, but critics say she may have gotten herself creatively stuck
-
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl: Much glitter, little gold
Feature Swift’s new album has broken records, but critics say she may have gotten herself creatively stuck
-
9 inviting bookstores ready for you to attack their shelves
The Week Recommends Your new favorite book awaits
-
Tim Robinson falls out of a chair, chefs compete for Michelin stars and Martin Scorsese gets the documentary treatment in October TV
the week recommends This month's new television releases include ‘The Chair Company,’ ‘Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars’ and ‘Mr. Scorsese’
-
Frankenstein comes to life, the Alabama prison system is exposed and Rose Byrne goes full Crazy Mom in October movies
the week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Frankenstein,’ ‘The Alabama Solution’ and ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’
-
Choose your own wellness adventure in Greater Palm Springs
The Week Recommends Hit the spa, try a sound bath or take a hike
-
A Taylor Swift analysis, the digital-addiction solution plus what it means to be a gay Black artist — all in October books
The Week Recommends This month's new releases include ‘Taylor’s Version’ by Stephanie Burt, ‘Enshittification’ by Cory Doctorow and ‘Minor Black Figures’ by Brandon Taylor
-
Music reviews: Geese, Jeff Tweedy, and Mariah Carey
Feature “Getting Killed,” “Twilight Override,” and “Here for It All”
-
8 of the best ‘cozy crime’ series of all time
The Week Recommends Murder mysteries don’t necessarily have to make us miserable, and these shows have perfected a feel-good crime formula