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.

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.

"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.

When you sit down to watch this, have a box of tissues ready. This is one of the most beautiful, genuine, raw and heartbreaking documentaries I've seen on a real icon.

Over the past decade or so we have had hours and hours of fake "reality" TV and documentaries produced. They are scripted, staged, not a wrinkle seen or an hair out of place, where everything is a "drama." Think the Kardashians.

This documentary is real, and honest. Céline Dion comes across down to earth and very self aware.

I wouldn't call myself a fan, but I can't deny her talent, and how her illness is affecting her life and family.

I am not a Celine Dion's fan, but I must admit that she is a tremendous singer, and since so many decades now.... She was helped a long time ago by her husband, René Angeli, who discovered her and found contracts for her. But besides this, she made herself. She has always been very dedicated to her passion, singing. Her closest family is her fans. And seeing her in such a physical and psychological distress, is really painful for everyone, even the non fans as me. So, imagine the genuine, die hard fans.... To watch the pain of this poor Celine is a pure torture for anyone, unless being cold hearted. Seeing poor Celine trying to sing, with the "broken" voice and then crying in front of the camera was too much for me. I prefer a torture sequence in a fiction stuff. I sincerely hope she will make it against this awful disease.