The tragedy of Whitney’s slow burn
“My mother always says, ‘That’s nothing but the devil. He’s trying to get ya. He just wants your soul.’ And in a sense it’s true. There’s been several times when the devil’s trying to get me. But he never gets me.”
— Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston’s place in the pantheon of popular culture is forever cemented. Her voice is so powerful and unmistakeable that it’s in the ether.
She has sold a total of 54 million records worldwide. Yet towards the end of the 2018 Whitney Houston documentary “Whitney” directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kevin McDonald (Marley, “The Last King of Scotland”), the camera holds close on Houston’s aunt Mary Jones as she breathes in, releases, looks at the camera and says, “I wasn’t gone but 30 minutes.”
In the end, it took Whitney Houston less than 30 minutes to die. Similar to Asif Kapadia’s
2015 Amy Winehouse documentary “Amy,” McDonald’s film is a meditation on fame, addiction and how the endless vortex of tabloid journalism can damage not only one’s reputation but the person hiding behind it. McDonald’s film is estate-approved (unlike 2017’s “Whitney Houston: Why Can’t I Be Me?”) and provides never before seen footage, in-depth interviews with those closest to her (Houston’s brothers painting the most honest portrait of the singer) and previously unheard versions of her music.
The film chronicles her childhood in Newark, the vocal training she received from her mother Cissy Houston, the dizzying heights of superstardom and her untimely decline due to drug and
alcohol abuse.
“Whitney” is a slow-burn tragedy that plays out like the American Dream gone pear-shaped. It becomes a story about someone given a talent that allows them access to everything and all the trappings that come with such influence.
When all is said and done McDonald never lets the viewer forget about the talent of Houston. Her isolated vocals are recurring character throughout the film that reminds the audience of the immensely moving voice that she possessed. When that moment arrives, the fateful 30 minutes that everyone knows is just around the corner, it comes as no less of a shock. That is a testament to how effective this film is.
The film frames the ending in such a way that it leaves us at a complete loss. Finally, when the credits roll we are reminded of what is really counts: Whitney Houston’s legacy. Her body of work is staggering and completely affecting: “The Greatest Love of All,” “How Will I Know,” “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” just to name a few. She even had a top-20 hit from singing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl.
Look, no one is here to judge but if you fail to get goosebumps at the 3:08 mark in “I Will Always Love You” then maybe you are not human.