When I hit play on the new documentary ‘I Am: Céline Dion,’ I didn’t expect to find myself balling my eyes out. From a moment of “crisis” to an apple tree metaphor, Céline's story gripped and tugged at the heartstrings.
Premiering today, June 25th, on Prime Video, the documentary begins by showcasing a young, bright-eyed Céline, full of aspirations to sing for the rest of her life.
We then journey through the highs of her incredibly successful career—creating 27 albums, selling 250 million records, and winning multiple Grammys and Oscars—to her facing the fear of never being able to sing live again due to her diagnosis with Stiff Person Syndrome in 2022.
The neurological disorder has halted Céline's career of performing live since.
In the most shocking moment of the whole documentary, we witness Céline experience a spasm and endure a seizure as a result of being overstimulated by what she loves most - her music!
Surrounded by her medical team, Céline stares blankly with tears welling in her eyes, the only movement being her facial twitching. Describing this moment as heart-shattering feels like an understatement.
SOURCE: Prime Video
Her wails of pain are enough to make you burst into tears as the true extent of her health issues is revealed in the most unfathomable way.
“Every time something like this happens it makes you feel so embarrassed… Like you don’t have control over yourself, you know?” Céline said, recovering from the intense episode.
“NOW PEOPLE WILL UNDERSTAND.”
Elsewhere in the documentary, Céline explains that her voice began spasming 17 years ago, and today she struggles to hit the high and low notes she is known for.
“I think I was very good. I had some stuff that was amazing,” Céline tearfully described her career prior to her diagnosis.
“But there’s been moments where I’ve had to go to the studio and I know they wanted Céline Dion… who is Céline Dion? She’s the best!” she added about the expectations placed on her in recent years.
That expectation became too much to balance while facing the daily battle against her illness.
Céline revealed she could no longer hide bailing on her live shows behind excuses of throat and ear infections, saying it all became “too heavy” to carry on her shoulders.
“I feel like an apple tree,” she says. “And people are in line and I give them apples. The best. And I shine them, and they all leave with a basket of apples.”
“My branches are starting to fall and become crooked, and those branches are starting to produce a little less apples. But there’s still as many people in line,” she added.
“I DON’T WANT THEM TO WAIT IN LINE IF I DON’T HAVE APPLES FOR THEM.”
But she refuses to give up, adding later in the documentary: “If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl. I won’t stop.”
Her love for singing, for music, is truly one-of-a-kind. It is her life, and she oozes passion even after being in the industry for 43 years.
‘I Am: Céline Dion’ is a real tear-provoker that shows just how tough and unstoppable Céline really is.
