Céline Dion and the incredible resilience of women

Céline Dion is a legend, and there’s no doubt about it. She has been for years, ever since her powerful voice and gentle yet determined character brought her to the top of the world (and the stages of said world) with My Heart Will Go On. Now, the artist returns to the scene despite everything, and through a documentary dedicated to her, available from June 25 on Prime Video, she sends a love letter to her fans and to music.

Céline Dion's Career

Céline was discovered at just 13 years old by manager René Angélil, who later became her husband. It was 1981. In 1988, she participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. Her first English-language album came shortly after, in 1990, marking her entry into the international music scene. The breakthrough came at the end of the nineties, with Titanic. The song My Heart Will Go On became one of the best-selling singles of all time and won numerous awards, including the Oscar for Best Original Song. In 2003, after a short break, she began her first residency in Las Vegas, which then repeated in 2011, lasting until 2019. Recently, health issues have prevented her from performing, forcing her to postpone several dates of her European tour scheduled for late 2022. The artist has been affected by a rare autoimmune neurological disorder.

The I Am Céline Dion Documentary and Her Illness

It is precisely on these last two years—on the Stiff Person Syndrome, on the muscle spasms that make it difficult for her to perform and even walk, and on how she has coped with the pain—that the documentary I Am Céline Dion, directed by Irene Taylor and produced by Amazon MGM, focuses. The documentary includes archival and behind-the-scenes footage of the singer's career, as well as never-before-seen interviews in which the renowned artist talks about her condition. What emerges is the resilient character of a woman who does not break in the face of difficulties, who has worked tirelessly to return to the stage, and who on the stage finds her lifeblood and her motivation to keep going. An example of feminine resilience that touches hearts and justifies the perhaps somewhat hagiographic tone of the documentary, which is best watched with a glass of wine (or a non-alcoholic drink) and a box of tissues.