I Am: Celine Dion

[CM-BlueButterfly]

Amazon documentary on superstar singer Celine Dion and her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome.

It premieres June 2

[DanaK]

Premiere date is actually June 25; I'm not sure if it got changed

 

[Soapy Goddess]

Heart-breaking and very well produced. Such a brave lady showing the good times, the bad times, and the ugliness of SPS. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

This was a difficult watch… 😭

It’s very courageous of Celine to share this vulnerable part of her life with us, laid her emotions bare.

Love the switch/contrast between the past (high moments of her career) and the present (navigating her illness). It’s done well. Her voice and her songs can really trigger the emotions in you.

Please don’t worry about no more apples to give, just stay strong and safe. You’re a brave lady, Celine! 👏🏻

“When your voice brings you joy, you’re the best of yourself.”

[Bastet]

I only like a couple of her songs, but they were everywhere for a while so I knew the basics of her career, but I found her late husband absolutely gross for taking up with a teenager whose career he controlled, so I've never paid any attention to the details of Celine Dion's personal life.  But, despite my lack of familiarity or really even interest in her, I watched this because I wanted to learn about Stiff Person Syndrome. 

Wow, what a strange and debilitating thing to live with!  Good for her putting herself out there like this, as raising awareness may help others struggling with this rare disorder.

"I think I was very good" really got to me.

And, of course, the extended seizure.  That a flare-up can be triggered by the exhilaration of succeeding at what she loves to do is heartbreaking!

I like that it wasn't all struggle, that the film included fun moments like her saying she'll take any shoe size from six to ten if she loves the shoe, and busting out with the Kit Kat song when she says "Give me a break".

This Guardian interview with the director, Irene Taylor, about how the film came to be is interesting.

Edited June 29 by Bastet

[Spartan Girl]

Well, this hurt like hell.

I get why they wanted to show that attack, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch. The emotional and physical toll of her condition was excruciating to watch, especially that part before the attack where she was trying to record her singing. She shouldn’t have pushed herself, but the thought of not being able to do the thing you love on the risk of overstimulation? That’s a kick to the gut.

I know people look askance at the fact that she met her husband when she was thirteen…but that’s her business. Until and if she sees that relationship in a different light now that he’s gone, I’m not going to pass judgement. Especially when she’s got enough on her plate as it is.

Her chubby Lab was the sweetest.

[DanaK]

This was pretty hard to watch in some places. Man, that seizure at 1hr 30min. It was heartbreaking to hear how SPS affects her in so many ways and especially her singing. I’ve been a big fan of Celine’s since her early English language albums and my absolute favorite song of hers is “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic”. I’ve always considered her kind of goofy because English was her second language, but she’s majorly talented and has a great sense of humor, and fortunately we saw some of it in the doc. I can’t help but think she should retire from singing or at least from performing pop music on stage and touring. But heck she had that seizure just from singing somewhat quietly in a booth, which by the way, sounded beautiful. She should just have a goal of trying to have as normal a life as possible 

[DanaK]

Celine surprises fans at the NHL Draft

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/celine-dion-surprises-fans-nhl-draft-announces-montreal-111546142

[libgirl2]

On 6/29/2024 at 5:23 PM, DanaK said:

This was pretty hard to watch in some places. Man, that seizure at 1hr 30min. It was heartbreaking to hear how SPS affects her in so many ways and especially her singing. I’ve been a big fan of Celine’s since her early English language albums and my absolute favorite song of hers is “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic”. I’ve always considered her kind of goofy because English was her second language, but she’s majorly talented and has a great sense of humor, and fortunately we saw some of it in the doc. I can’t help but think she should retire from singing or at least from performing pop music on stage and touring. But heck she had that seizure just from singing somewhat quietly in a booth, which by the way, sounded beautiful. She should just have a goal of trying to have as normal a life as possible 

She is very devoted to her fans and feels if they pay to see her, she will give them a good show. She respects her fans. More artists should be that way --- I'm looking at you Madonna among others. 

[Frost]

To echo everyone else, that seizure section was hard to watch.  I'm amazed she was open enough to keep it in the film.  I admire her voice, her work ethic, and her determination, so much.

I must admit I am not a fan of her younger sons after watching this.  They're old enough to be of help to her and it seemed like they were just too into their VR games to care.

[Marigold66]

On 7/2/2024 at 3:41 PM, Frost said:

I must admit I am not a fan of her younger sons after watching this.  They're old enough to be of help to her and it seemed like they were just too into their VR games to care.

Aw I really don't think we can pass judgement on what her sons are or aren't doing for her based on just a couple of clips from the doc.  I can't imagine how traumatic it is to see their mother in the throes of that spasm.  I could barely watch as a viewer from home.  She obviously loves them tremendously and I think I remember reading that they have all practiced drills that if something like that were to happen to her, they know what to do.  I have to give them a bit of grace for just wanting to goof off and be normal.  And maybe that's what she wanted to showcase as well.  

[CheshireCat]

On 6/29/2024 at 4:17 PM, Bastet said:

I only like a couple of her songs, but they were everywhere for a while so I knew the basics of her career, but I found her late husband absolutely gross for taking up with a teenager whose career he controlled, so I've never paid any attention to the details of Celine Dion's personal life. 

I read her (auto)biography and he actually kept her at arm's length until she was 20. 

There's still the age difference and that he was in charge of her career but it seems to have been a happy marriage. 

 

On 6/29/2024 at 4:17 PM, Bastet said:

I like that it wasn't all struggle, that the film included fun moments like her saying she'll take any shoe size from six to ten if she loves the shoe, 

I read that in an interview a few years back and, apparently, it's not just shoes. I don't know how anyone wears shows that are too big or small but it definitely takes a very confident person to buy clothes that they like regardless of size with the determination to make it work. 

 

On 7/2/2024 at 3:41 PM, Frost said:

To echo everyone else, that seizure section was hard to watch.  I'm amazed she was open enough to keep it in the film.  I admire her voice, her work ethic, and her determination, so much.

I'm always torn when I see things like that. On the one hand, I wonder why they have to show it; there's a part of it that feels like it's shown for shock effect. On the other hand, I think it's important to raise awareness and it's also important for anyone who goes through something similar as it shows them that they're not alone. 

 

On 7/2/2024 at 3:41 PM, Frost said:

I must admit I am not a fan of her younger sons after watching this.  They're old enough to be of help to her and it seemed like they were just too into their VR games to care.

It's true that their old enough, still, I don't think it would be quite fair to expect them to help. It's not their illness and as Dion can afford staff, I think children should be allowed to be children. 
I can also see why she might not want them more involved. They lost their father at the age of 6, now their mother is sick with an incurable disease. That's a lot to deal with and given how she came across, she might want to be able to keep up appearances for the sake of her children. As in, say she's okay even on days when she's not at her best. 

 

On 6/29/2024 at 6:23 PM, DanaK said:

I can’t help but think she should retire from singing or at least from performing pop music on stage and touring. 

I don't know if she'll ever get back to a point where she can return to the stage and see where you're coming from. In my experience, it's not that simple though. From what I know, Dion led a pretty similar life to that of a dancer or an athlete. She started singing at a very young age and it seemed to dominate her life. When dancers retire, they often need help finding that second career path as they have to learn who they are without dancing and I think, if she retired, she'd probably feel the same. I think she might even feel like she's losing part of her identity and/or that she lets the illness define her. 

Even if she's never able to get back on stage or record another album, I'd assume that it's good for her mental health to keep going for as long as she wants to. It gives her a goal to work towards. 

.

As far as the documentary is concerned, I have little to add. It was a lot to take in, very interesting and also, kind of heartbreaking. While I had really hoped to see her on stage again, I don't think it'll happen. But I hope that she can get to a place where she's happy with herself and I'll always cherish the two concerts that I did get to attend. 

[chediavolo]

The warehouse full of stuff! Oh my God! I hope she auctions off some of those things for charity someday! Otherwise, I have to say she seems like an incredibly nice person and my God what she has to go through. Thank God, she has the resources to have professionals around her and to help her. It just makes you think of all the poor people that cannot afford such a thing, in that respect she is fortunate. But it is incredibly sad, I can’t imagine. I wish her better health and lots of luck 

Edited August 1 by chediavolo

[DanaK]

1 hour ago, chediavolo said:

The warehouse full of stuff! Oh my God! I hope she auctions off some of those things for charity someday! Otherwise, I have to say she seems like an incredibly nice person and my God what she has to go through. Thank God, she has the resources to have professionals around her and to help her. It just makes you think of all the poor people that cannot afford such a thing, in that respect she is fortunate. But it is incredibly sad, I can’t imagine. I wish her better health and lots of luck 

Did you see her sing at the end of the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony? That was wonderful to see, though I read somewhere that it was lipsynced (probably in case of issues) but I haven't seen it verified. I don't know if she can keep it up though without a setback, but here's hoping

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, DanaK said:

Did you see her sing at the end of the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony? That was wonderful to see, though I read somewhere that it was lipsynced (probably in case of issues) but I haven't seen it verified. I don't know if she can keep it up though without a setback, but here's hoping

I can imagine her choosing to lipsync. If she did, I wonder if they had it as a back up and she was having a bad day.