But when you’ve seen Asif Kapadia’s documentary about Amy you’ll realise there’s plenty more to the story.

Kapadia shows us how the Jewish girl from North London became one of the pre-eminent jazz and soul singers of the early 21st century.

Indeed, there are some noted critics who rate Amy Winehouse in the same bracket as Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett.

So what happened to such a talent who died four years ago, in 2011, of alcohol poisoning.

The documentary maker had plenty of material to draw upon. Amy’s from the generation which records virtually everything on the multiplicity of devices available to everyone.

There are personal videos and photographs shot by family and friends – particularly best friends Juliette Ashby and Lauren Gilbert – along with those compiled by manager Nick Shymansky.

One of the home movies shows us a teenage Winehouse singing a vampy ‘Happy Birthday’ to best friend Lauren Gilbert.

Kapadia comes down pretty hard on Amy’s Dad, though. He pushed her to work when the singer clearly wasn’t up to it.

It’s interesting to note that since Amy first screened a few months back at the Cannes Film Festival Mr Mitch Winehouse has withdrawn his support of the film and says he doesn’t recognise his daughter in Kapadia’s doco.

The harshest criticism though is reserved for Amy’s ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Not only did he introduce his famous wife to crack cocaine and heroin but he also exploited her mercilessly.

AMY screens in limited sessions from this Sunday. Two sessions will be followed by a pre-recorded Q&A with director Asif Kapadia, producer James Gay-Rees, Winehouse’s first manager Nick Shymansky, & featuring interview clips with Jools Holland, Mark Ronson and Yasiin Bey (Mos Def).

Visit www.starcinema.org.au for session details.

CAN life get any better for high-flying advertising man Ruben Guthrie?

He lives in a mansion on the Sydney harbourside, his fiancee is a model and, naturally, Ruben (Patrick Brammall) leads a party boy lifestyle.

Model Zoya (Abbey Lee) moved in with Guthrie when she was 16, which probably should have set off some alarms. Right there.

Not to mention a variety of substances which the pair, and their friends, jam up their noses or slip down their throats.

The real drama begins when Ruben’s Mum finds him at the bottom of his infinity pool, the result of some drunken prank.

He’s really lucky to be alive.

Zoya leaves the mansion, issues the ad man a challenge – stay off the booze and the happy substances for a year and you’ll get another chance. Maybe.

So there’s one challenge with the other being the hangers-on, colleagues and so-called friends don’t want to socialise with such a dreary non-drinker.

Director Brendan Cowell keeps tabs on Guthrie’s big year over the course of a dozen days or so – day 1, day 31, day 66 and so on.

Damien (Alex Dimitriades) brings some laughs as Ruben’s fast-living friend. They’ve been friends since university days but after he moves in, Damien tests Ruben’s resolve with his swags of duty-free booze.

You’ll instantly recognise lead actor Brammall. Not only has he been the main man in ABC-TV’s Glitch (filmed in Castlemaine) he was also the husband to the GP who was searching for her hot-rod loving family in Upper Middle Bogan.