“I Am: Celine Dion,” newly launched for viewing on Prime Video, is so targeted on what the singer has been by way of in additional than a decade and a half of battling Stiff Particular person Illness that it’s onerous to imagine that director Irene Taylor didn’t even know Dion was unwell when she signed on to the challenge. All she Taylor actually knew, when she agreed to direct the movie a few yr of discussions, was that Dion appeared like a star who actually, actually had one thing to get off her chest… with little anticipation of simply what sort of floodgates would open.
The day after the movie premiered in New York final week, Taylor spoke with Selection about what she realized about what Dion has been struggling, and when — together with not simply the persistent sickness itself, however the singer’s shocking responsible conscience in not having leveled with followers at each step of the way in which, even when she was in the dead of night herself. Taylor additionally shared her ideas about how snug the normally glamorous Dion was in being filmed with out make-up from the outset — which little compares to the humility she confirmed in letting herself be portrayed present process a seizure, in a very stunning scene. (If you wish to keep away from documentary spoilers altogether, save this studying for after a viewing of Taylor’s highly effective and perceptive movie.)
Taylor additionally addressed a query many followers can have earlier than, throughout and after seeing the doc: Is there potential for Dion to sing publicly once more? Nonetheless that will end up, the movie ends with with a riveting vocal efficiency by Dion… moments after a scene so harrowing that Taylor wasn’t even 100% certain her topic was respiratory.
You’ve by no means accomplished a so-called music documentary earlier than. It will be straightforward to have a look at your filmography and suppose you is likely to be a director who can be attuned to creating a movie that includes some struggling. However as we perceive it, whenever you have been requested when you needed to do that, you didn’t learn about her sickness. Are you able to describe the way you got here on to the challenge?
An business colleague referred to as me at some point and requested me what I considered Celine, and I confessed I didn’t suppose that a lot about her. However we’re an identical age, and I grew up listening to the radio like most of us, and I may sing her songs. (The colleague) instructed me that she thought Celine is likely to be open to a documentary, and he or she was not concerned in any kind of deal; she simply thought, “I feel you’d be actually good for this. I’d like to advocate your identify.” And a yr later, after assembly her administration, after assembly people from Sony, after assembly Celine herself, I went by way of my very own narrative arc from “Oh, I don’t see how this may very well be a proper match for me” to “Wow, this really may very well be a very partaking expertise for me. I’ve by no means made a movie like this earlier than.”
Celine had requested me, “Is it doable that you can make a movie that may simply be my voice and nobody else’s voice speaking about me?” And I mentioned, “Properly, certain, it’s doable. However you need to be on board for that, as an enormous dedication. It’s a must to determine when you’re up for that since you can be carrying the load of the narrative.” And I didn’t say this to Celine, however I’m saying this to you: Somebody can say they’re providing you with themselves, however you possibly can catch a whiff of inauthenticity, proper? When individuals are kind of caught up in their very own narrative, particularly in the event that they’ve been a public determine, they have already got a narrative. Properly, I didn’t know she was sick but, however I may see that there was one thing in her that simply actually felt misunderstood. A lot of public figures really feel like they’re misunderstood, that individuals don’t know them, however together with her, I actually felt it. I actually was like, “Huh. There’s something happening right here.” And lo and behold, after I mentioned, okay, I’m gonna take the leap — and he or she mentioned the identical factor about me — I mainly mentioned sure and he or she mentioned sure.
A few month later, her supervisor referred to as me and mentioned, “Look, I’ve bought to let you know one thing. Celine is absolutely sick, and nobody is aware of, and we don’t actually know what it’s.” However he didn’t inform me how lengthy she had been sick — I had no thought (that it had been 17 years). So mainly I went into the primary day of taking pictures understanding she was sick and considering, OK, perhaps that is an apparent focus for my start line with this movie. After which the primary day filming with Celine, she simply firehosed a lot that was inside her, together with so many issues that finally I spotted are extraneous and never necessary. What is necessary, and this was the clear factor, is that she has been mendacity and he or she feels so responsible that she managed to cowl it up.
As a result of she may prop herself up. She was very wholesome; she takes excellent care of herself. However she lastly bought to some extent the place her physique was simply breaking up. , she couldn’t face up to the quantity of pharmaceutical medication she was taking simply to operate. She couldn’t stand it anymore.
That first day was the primary actually extraordinary second in our filming. The second extraordinary second, as you may think, was when the unimaginable occurred whereas I used to be filming…
That’s the stunning seizure scene close to the tip.
Statistically, the probability that that may occur whereas my digital camera was rolling is awfully uncommon. Right here now we have a girl who’s a rarefied singer, and an icon who has a rarefied, orphan illness, after which this actually uncommon factor occurs whereas my digital camera’s rolling. Nobody anticipated that to occur. We by no means mentioned, “What if that occurs, what will we do?” By no means even had that dialog, as a result of we simply assumed it wouldn’t occur.
How lengthy did you find yourself taking pictures together with her?
Eight or 10 months. Cobbling collectively some archives that we needed to get, I feel it was a few yr, as a result of it took me and my editor about three months to undergo 600 hours of archives. I knew that I didn’t need to make a movie that was steeped in archive, however I knew that I needed to sprinkle the archive all through the movie to stability the emotional ballast of the narrative. As a result of there was a variety of palpable loneliness. There was palpable struggling that I used to be witnessing that was very evident.
I feel for the entire movie, we solely did like two formal interviews the place we mentioned, “At the moment, let’s sit down and actually speak.” It was similar to we might be collectively after which have a dialog for 20 minutes in the lounge, after which in a while we’d be in her dressing room and he or she’d be placing on her socks after which she would speak, after which she’d begin crying. After which one other time, I might suppose it might be a heavy day and he or she can be very jokey and lighthearted all day. So the movie was actually all about stability, as a result of the pendulum simply stored swinging so onerous between gentle and darkish, and comfortable and unhappy, and clear and obfuscated.
Céline Dion and Irene Taylor attend the “I Am: Celine Dion” New York particular screening at Alice Tully Corridor on June 17, 2024 in New York Metropolis.
Getty Pictures
Do you suppose it was all the time her intention to have a movie that may actually zero in on what was occurring together with her situation and her sickness, despite the fact that she didn’t disclose to that to you earlier than you signed on? Was that all the time her finish recreation, do you suppose?
I don’t suppose I can converse to Celine’s finish recreation, as a result of that may recommend a really calculated plan on her half. I feel that she needed to be heard. I’m unsure she actually simply needed folks to actually imagine that she was sick and perceive that she was sick, or if it was that this was the one means she knew to inform folks, “I really haven’t been truthful.” , she had referred to as herself an open e book for a few years, however she was withholding this one half.
The movie is just not the disclose to the world that she’s sick. That was her option to make, and once we had been filming for a number of months and he or she had gotten the analysis, lastly, she had accepted that she now had a reputation for her illness. It was proper round that point, like two or three months later, that she was feeling devastated and simply mentioned, “The lie is simply too heavy.” I noticed the writing on the wall at that time, and I assumed, “, I don’t suppose Celine can wait a yr for the world to know why she’s now canceled her residency and two excursions. And I’m not gonna attempt to management that.” That’s not my enterprise. I may attempt to pivot and incorporate that telling into the movie, in order that’s what I did. So it’s type of like earlier than the announcement and after the announcement — you realize, earlier than Christ and after Christ; that’s type of in my mind how I noticed the narrative of the movie. She felt higher as soon as folks knew, as a result of then the lie part… , she’s a deeply ethical individual, and I feel she had a discomfort with that a part of her that wasn’t being as true as she desires to be.
There are a variety of tears within the movie. Had been you ever crying together with her behind the digital camera, or did you retain up a reasonably strong demeanor as she’s getting so emotional?
I by no means cried together with her. I’m a crier, however I don’t cry in my movies with my movie topics. That isn’t my place. I feel there are a lot of methods to be empathic and to indicate them you’re empathic, even if you wish to cry. There have been moments that I actually felt an enormous emotional tug. However I’ve to let you know, as a lot as I felt an emotional tug, I felt steadily this incredulous feeling of, “I can not imagine she’s saying this to me. Wow.” She was so open and uncooked. It was shocking.
Let’s discuss the entire final sequence of the movie, since you mentioned you weren’t ready for a seizure to happen when you have been filming her in any respect. It takes very dramatic turns, together with, after she has recovered from what is going on to her, this shifting, impromptu efficiency. In all probability nobody anticipated certainly one of Celine Dion’s nice singing performances to be in a sweater in a nondescript room moments after she has a traumatic expertise. What have been you considering as all that was happening?
It simply snowballed in a short time. She had, simply 10 minutes, earlier come out of efficiently wrapping up two days of recording for the primary time in 4 years, I feel. Her singing voice sounded good. She was in a very good temper. We have been like, “Wow, that went nice for her.” After which issues in a short time went south.
Within the room subsequent door to her recording sales space, her therapist was there ready for her as a result of she will get this remedy each day. My cinematographer and I’ve this outdated cinema-verite-style (association the place) the director is the sound individual and the DP. So I used to be the sound lady for many of creating this movie. I had a growth microphone. So I used to be holding the growth and I really used the growth to attempt to hear her respiratory, as a result of really I assumed it was very doable she was not respiratory. She was not shifting and I wasn’t certain what was occurring. But it surely actually was not my place to assist her bodily as a result of she had folks there. She had the sports activities therapist there who understood the gist of what was occurring. She had certainly one of her safety folks there; it appeared like he was caressing her to appease her, however he was ensuring she wouldn’t fall off the desk — all 230 kilos of him, simply ensuring she was not going to fall. After which the supervisor was on the telephone with the physician, and everybody was doing their job.
And I spotted, “ what? I’ve a job to do, too. I don’t know what we’re gonna do with this footage, however I’m simply gonna maintain filming, as a result of I’ve been filming with Celine for eight months, and never solely has she by no means requested me to cease filming, she particularly instructed me, ‘Don’t ask my permission, simply do it.’” So I simply did my job in that regard. However the human a part of me was very uncomfortable. However I actually imagine within the energy of nonfiction, and I actually imagine that we will transport folks in their very own creativeness by displaying them actual issues, not scripted issues, not issues that come out of my creativeness, however simply issues that I knew the place to level the digital camera and that is what occurred. And on this case, I didn’t overthink it. I simply stored filming.
After which finally I confirmed her the scene, which was 50 minutes whittled right down to between 4-5, not together with the music. I confirmed it to her, very importantly, within the context of the entire movie. It was so intensely revealing that I didn’t need to present it to her out of context, nor did I need to present her the uncooked footage. I imply, I might have if she requested, as a result of she was solely semi-conscious when this occurred. Anyway, I confirmed her my positive, tough lower, and the very very first thing she mentioned was, “I feel this movie might help me.” I feel she meant a variety of issues by that. After which she mentioned, “And I don’t need you to chop out that scene, and don’t lower it down.” And by “that scene,” we knew what she meant. I even pressed her. I used to be like, “Properly, what about that half the place you’re crying and so they’re placing one thing up your (nostril)…?” I really pulled up the elements that to me that have been (probably upsetting or invasive). She mentioned, “It’s OK. I instructed you I don’t need you to chop it. That’s what I am going by way of. That’s what this looks like.”
Celine was not concerned within the enhancing of this movie, however she was fairly agency with me really about it, like, “That’s what you need to present.” I mentioned, “Yeah, however I lower it down.” As a result of it was tougher than you even see, mainly. However I did take into consideration doing a sound design part very late within the edit. And it comes close to the start of the movie, which was my means of showing that she has this illness on the high of the movie — not the precise reveal the place we’re recording her, however on the high of the movie the place you hear all these newscasters from all around the world, and it’s a medley of sound design. To my sound designer Laura Hirshberg, who could be very well-renowned for her sound work out at Skywalker Ranch, I mentioned, “I feel I need to let Celine chime in on this soundscape that we’re creating, as a result of she’s tried to explain with me to me what it looks like when she’s having this episode.” She all the time used to explain it like, “It’s like {an electrical} storm inside my head.” I didn’t play it for her, however, simply by way of FaceTime after we have been accomplished filming, we talked for about an hour and he or she described intimately what it looks like. And so Laura and I actually tried to imitate that within the sound, to kind of honor her expertise.
Celine nonetheless desires to sing, we study within the movie, however she is aware of it might probably’t be at full capability, and says, “Perhaps I can sing one other type of repertoire, however then it’s gonna be their option to nonetheless like me.” Do you’ve gotten a way, primarily based on seeing her sing, of what is likely to be doable for her singing-wise sooner or later? Do you suppose she is snug attempting to do issues within the studio, or elsewhere, with lowered expectations?
Celine and I talked so much about alternative ways she may sing, together with having a narrower vocal vary in a few of the songs that she performs. I feel that she even talked about doing a challenge in American Signal Language. She was actually simply attempting to think about all these alternative ways she may nonetheless sing and carry out and specific herself, however not essentially sing that five-octave, huge timber that everybody’s used to. And I feel she is snug attempting to do issues within the studio, and I imagine that proper now she is engaged on her voice slightly greater than once we have been filming, which is I feel partly an indication of her having a extra steady prognosis and medicine routine together with her new physician. So that may be my non-professional, simply observational opinion.
A lot of topics, even when they have been coping with a well being disaster in entrance of documentary cameras, may nonetheless go heavier on the make-up, the glam lighting, and so on. Was she simply fearless about that from the beginning, or did you’ve gotten an affect on her being portrayed starkly?
Celine was utterly fearless from day one. She confirmed up in pressed slacks and a pressed white shirt with none make-up on, and her hair pulled again right into a easy bun, and it was very clear instantly that she was missing any self-awareness. She didn’t touch upon the truth that she didn’t put on make-up. She didn’t touch upon the truth that she was going to be informal. I by no means requested her to put on something particular. I by no means requested her to decorate down.
There was at some point once I knew that I’d be coming over and nothing was deliberate; she didn’t have any plans to her day in anyway. I instructed her merely, “Look, we will simply come there and type of observe you thru the home, having your breakfast, making espresso, and also you see that day within the movie.” She’s making espresso; she’s hanging out together with her canine; and he or she occurred to put on her favourite pajamas. And he or she was telling me simply the opposite day, really, lengthy after we completed filming, that she’s been carrying these pajamas a number of days every week and they’re her favourite.
So we didn’t speak an excessive amount of about how put collectively and type of produced her (public) look was. I actually type of caught within the current day as a result of I knew that I might present that (extra glamorous) individual by way of cinematic means. So I didn’t need to carry up extra issues for her to be self-aware or self-conscious about. I can let you know she was simply all about consolation, and I used to be heartened that she may very well be so snug in entrance of the digital camera.
We talked about a few of the heavy stuff within the movie, however do you’ve gotten a favourite second that isn’t one of many extra harrowing or emotional moments?
I feel really certainly one of my favourite moments within the movie is when she is carrying these stunning Dior pajamas, and he or she goes by way of her day and listening to Maria Callas by her pool. That was such a quiet afternoon together with her, and he or she actually simply allow us to do our factor. We placed on an extended lens and shot her from in all probability 50 ft away, and I feel she simply bought misplaced within the music. Maria Callas all the time makes her really feel very considerate, and in addition, as she mentioned within the movie, Maria Callas provides her energy. I feel Maria Callas has all the time been a vocal mentor for Celine, and Celine talked to me so much about Maria Callas’ life. We didn’t embody that within the movie, however I feel she discovered braveness in the way in which Maria Callas moved by way of the world, regardless of a few of the methods folks spoke about her when she was residing throughout that point. And so I do know that she is absolutely an inspiration to Celine.
