Five Impactful Moments in Celine Dion’s New Documentary ‘I Am’

TORONTO — Celine Dion has bared her soul on stage for most of her life, but her new documentary reveals a never-before-seen side of the famous Quebec singer.

Amidst her battle with Rigid Person Syndrome, “I Am: Celine Dion” offers an unflinching look into the 56-year-old’s private life as she manages the rare neurological disorder that can cause muscle stiffness and severe spasms, as well as affect her capacity. perform.

Ahead of its release on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service on June 25, here are five impactful and insightful moments from the documentary:

COMING CLEAN: As Dion promises to one day return to the concert stage, she also admits she hasn’t always been honest with her fans as she’s struggled with her health. Show cancellations blamed on seemingly common illnesses were actually due to her more serious condition, she says now. At other times, she shrugged off signs that her body was failing on stage as mere vocal fumbles. “There were times when I cheated and beat on the microphone like it was his fault. I did what my mom said, I didn’t flinch,” she recalls. In the end, he knew the truth would win: “Lying is too hard now.”

ANOTHER LIFE: In a lighter moment, Dion jokingly reflects on the strict diet and lifestyle that have kept her powerful voice in shape since she was a teenager. She describes how this sometimes made her envious of rock stars who weren’t as disciplined. “They drink, they party and they don’t sleep. They’re super cool people. And they just like it – they go to a bar and have fun,” she explains as she mimes an air guitar. “Me, I have water. And I sleep for 12 hours.”

HER VOICE: Knowing how much effort she put into protecting her vocal cords, it’s all the more devastating to hear Dion explain how she desperately tried to regain control as her body deteriorated. “My tool wasn’t working, so we started increasing the drug,” she says in one scene, detailing how she started taking higher and higher doses of Valium. “I needed medication to function. One more pill, two more pills, five more pills. Too many pills. The show must go on.” She adds, “I don’t want to sound dramatic, but I could have died.”

FRUIT: As she reflects on the pressures of her career and the considerable weight she feels the disease has placed on her shoulders, Dion likens herself to an apple where people line up to seek sustenance. “I give them apples – the best – and shine them. And they all leave with a basket of apples,” she says. “My branches are starting to fall sometimes. Hold on tight. And those branches are starting to produce a little less apples. But there are still a lot of people in line. I don’t want them to stand in line if I don’t have apples for them.”

LOSS OF CONTROL: In the film’s climactic moment, the cameras capture a spasm in her left leg that turns into a paralyzing attack on Dion. “Her body and brain are overstimulated,” explains Terrill Lobo, her sports medicine therapist, at the start of the scene. “It could lead to a crisis.” Within minutes, Dion is curled up on an exam table with tears in her eyes as her medical team tend to her body as it convulses uncontrollably. “Every time something like this happens, it makes you feel so embarrassed,” she says after passing. He worries about what might happen if he returns to the stage and an adoring crowd inadvertently triggers the same reaction.

Before the night is over, Dion is back in shape. Sitting in the same room where her attack took place, she turns on the speakers of a mobile phone and sings along to the soaring ballad “Who I Am” by Wyn Starks. “What a song,” she sighed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 18, 2024.

David Friend, Canadian Press