This film is part of Rentals
Whitney: Can I Be Me
Documentary titan Nick Broomfield turns his gaze to the troubled pop star whose sensational voice masked an inner identity crisis.
Director: Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal
Overview
Documentary titan Nick Broomfield turns his gaze to the sensational pop star with the most soaring of voices, whose extraordinary talent and boundless energies masked an inner identity crisis. Leaving behind his boom-mic-wielding persona, Broomfield stays behind the camera for this fascinating insight into the pioneering singer, whose desperate attempts to assert some personal control over a rollercoaster career eventually wore her down.
Broomfield intersperses interviews and home-movies with some incredible concert footage from Houston's 1999 tour, filmed for an uncompleted documentary by Rudi Dolezal. Together it paints the picture of a tortured artist, deeply conflicted over her attempts to appeal to both black and white audiences, while also harbouring deep secrets about her sexuality and the nature of her relationship to husband Bobby Brown. The third of Broomfield's music star documentaries (after Biggie & Tupac, Kurt & Courtney) is his most successful to date, simply because it doesn't strive too far to justify conspiracy theories; Houston's inner turmoil is plain to see. With a career in documentary filmmaking approaching its fiftieth year, Broomfied reaffirms his status as a master of the field.
strong language, drug references
Related
Rebel Dread Rebel Dread
Documentary 2021 83 mins Director: William E. Badgley
This is the story of the iconic Don Letts, the coolest cultural polymath – narrated by the man himself.
Wilding Wilding
Documentary 2024 75 mins Director: David Allen
A dying landscape is healed against all odds, going on to thrive in astonishing ways, in this hopeful story of ecological regeneration.
Mifune : The Last Samurai Mifune : The Last Samurai
Documentary 2016 80 mins Director: Steven Okazaki
The on and off-screen character of Toshiro Mifune, Japan’s first international movie star, is explored in this illuminating documentary.
100 Years of Japanese Cinema 100 Years of Japanese Cinema
Documentary 1996 52 mins Director: Nagisa Oshima
Archive propels argument in this fascinating exploration of the social and cultural importance of Japan's film heritage.
Varda by Agnès Varda by Agnès
Biopic 2018 115 mins Director: Agnès Varda
In her final film, Agnès Varda offers a personal insight into her oeuvre, using excerpts from her work to illustrate her unique artistic visions and ideas.
Sudan, Remember Us Sudan, Remember Us
Documentary 2024 78 mins Director: Hind Meddeb
An award-winning documentary following young activists in Sudan as they oppose a military crackdown.
20 Feet from Stardom 20 Feet from Stardom
Documentary 2013 87 mins Director: Morgan Neville
This moving documentary shines a spotlight on the backing singers behind some of the great musical hits of the 21st century.
Chi-Raq Chi-Raq
Musical 2015 127 mins Director: Spike Lee
Spike Lee’s bold and vivacious hip-hop musical restages an ancient Greek battle-of-the-sexes in 21st-century Chicago.
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami
Documentary 2017 115 mins Director: Sophie Fiennes
Grace Jones is laid bare in this intimate and electrifying insight into the fascinating world of a pop-cultural phenomenon.
Whitney Whitney
Documentary 2018 120 mins Director: Kevin Macdonald
Stunning revelations and captivating reminiscences paint a picture of the extraordinary life of singer Whitney Houston, in this in-depth portrait by acclaimed filmmaker Kevin MacDonald (Touching the Void, Marley).
Amazing Grace Amazing Grace
Documentary 2019 89 mins Director: Alan Elliott and Sydney Pollack
Aretha Franklin, at the height of her powers, returns to the music which nurtured her prodigious talent.
Billie Billie
Documentary 2019 98 mins Director: James Erskine
Part film-noir, part tragedy, this mesmerising documentary uncovers the true life of the legendary Billie Holiday.
Rodeo Rodeo
Drama 2022 106 mins Director: Lola Quivoron
French debut director Lola Quivoron revs up with a ferocious tale of a woman kickstarting a new life in the world of guerrilla motocross racing.
Clemency Clemency
Drama 2019 112 mins Director: Chinonye Chukwu
Alfre Woodard is quietly devastating as a weary prison warden presiding over her twelfth execution, in this Sundance-winning death row drama.
Ida Ida
Drama 2014 82 mins Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
An exquisitely shot, moving drama about a Polish nun exploring her family past, which won a BAFTA for director Pawel Pawlikowski.
Plan 75 Plan 75
Science Fiction 2022 113 mins Director: Chie Hayakawa
Faced with a rapidly ageing population, a government in near-future Japan rolls out an unsettling agenda.
Cairo Conspiracy Cairo Conspiracy
Drama 2022 126 mins Director: Tarik Saleh
A fisherman’s son is offered a place at a prestigious Islamic school in Cairo and finds himself drawn into a religious and political power struggle.
The Night of the 12th The Night of the 12th
Drama 2022 114 mins Director: Dominik Moll
A newly promoted detective is assigned to a young woman’s chilling murder in this deeply arresting crime thriller based on true events.