I Am: Celine Dion

I am: Celine Dion is a glimpse into the life of mega star and super talented Canadian singer, Céline Dion. This documentary primarily focuses on her struggles with health issues that greatly impact her personal and professional life.

If you are looking for a comprehensive documentary that covers her entire life, you will be disappointed as this primary focuses on her battle and the impact of having Stiff Persons Syndrome. Her upbringing, road to stardom, relationships with friends and family, etc. Are only ever briefly glossed over.

However, it does a great job showing how illness can greatly limits oneself, not only physically but also how it can have even more devastating consequences on ones mental health, and in the case of Celine, whose identity is very much wrapped up in being a singer and performer, what that means when those things are taken away.

In a way this speaks to the aging process, how we cope when our bodies betray us and no longer able to do what they once were able to. It also speaks about self identity. When your self identity is wrapped around just one or two things (ie. A job, being a mother, being famous), what happens when those things change or are taken away. What is left?

It is truly heart wrenching seeing Céline Dion suffer through this disease (and the camera doesn't shy away showing her suffering and in pain) and while she is constantly surrounded by support staff, she seems so alone.

I praise Céline Dion for agreeing to showcase not only her highs but also her lows and when she is most vulnerable. She is regularly seen in a raw unglamourous light (no make-up, hair just pulled back, and wearing casual lounge outfits), talking about upsetting and emotional subjects, and even at one point showing unflinching footage of her suffering through an attack where she is at her most vulnerable and obviously in considerable pain in discomfort.

"I AM CELINE DION" is a deeply emotional and raw documentary that truly captures the essence of Celine Dion, a superstar who is as human as any of us. The film made me cry a couple of times, highlighting the immense pressures and vulnerabilities she faces behind the spotlight. Celine is portrayed with a perfect balance of her imperfections and her extraordinary talents. It's incredibly difficult to watch her world fall apart, seeing her grappling with personal and professional challenges, unsure of her next steps. Despite everything, her voice remains her anchor. Witnessing her struggle to sing through her pain is utterly heartbreaking, yet it underscores her resilience and unwavering dedication to her craft. This documentary is a poignant reminder of Celine's humanity, making her story all the more relatable and touching.

This documentary will hit you hard with reality. Irene Taylor did an amazing job showcasing, chronologically, what Celine Dion has gone through over the years,concert by concert. A few snippets of HD footage are mixed with raw versions of makeup-free Celine struggling. For the 911 scene, bring tissues because, in the end, its about a human trying.to continue her dream of returning to the stage. Celine, your heart will go on forever. We are here not for the apples., but for the tree.

My most favourite part was the home made scenes and the family interaction. Extremely recommended to watch in Amazon Prime.

No one would be surprised or resentful if a performer facing such drastic health issues chose to retreat entirely from public view. It is brave of Dion to reveal this struggle in such a raw and honest manner, and no doubt it will earn her sympathy from the fans she's so afraid to disappoint.

But it was clear to me that worse than this terrible disorder, what hurts her is her loss of identity as a performer. From such a young age, that's all she's known.

We saw a lot of physical therapy in this piece. However, I really wished we saw her in behavioral health therapy too. I think that is also as serious here--her loss of identity.

And as I realized that was the main issue, all I could see in this piece was another performance that she needed to deliver, and I felt uneasy about that. Her anxiety was giving me anxiety. She doesn't need to do this for her fans. It's ok, she can put her feet up, and write, design clothes or shoes or whatever, or paint, and everything else she missed out over the decades. I wish she could lower her perceptions of what she owes people--she doesn't. It's really ok to rest now. She deserves it.

I wish her some peace and ease, so very much.

It's sad to see some of these negative reviews and some people's blatant jealousy and pettiness towards this woman's lifestyle. These reviewers don't realize that their reviews are more of a reflection of themselves than the thing they are reviewing. Celine lives in a mansion and has a very privileged life; you knew this going into the documentary. She's Celine Dion. Were you expecting her lifestyle to be relatable?

This is a raw documentary that focuses on her illness and her passion for music which is clearly displayed in this project. Would you be able to expose yourself the way she did: having a crippling seizure for the world to see, breaking down in tears because your career, your passion and very life is at risk of being destroyed? She worked hard for her wealth-30+ years. If she lived in a small townhouse and furnished her house with furniture from Target would that make you feel better? Sad, sad people.