Film Review : What Happened, Miss Simone?
- Written by Rosie Duffield
Biopics are ten a penny these days; Walk The Line, Get On Up and At Last are just a few that have looked at prominent figures of the music industry in recent years. These are good, and let you relive the relevant artist’s music while you get a window into their personal life – but somehow, they lack a bit of authenticity.
‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’ by Liz Garbus differs in the fact that it’s a documentary – and, crucially – it features original recordings, film and photographs spanning Nina Simone’s life and career.
The film gives a rare insight into the intriguing life of Nina Simone: tormented soul, civil rights activist and singer. Interviews with her daughter, as well as contributions from key people in her life – such as her husband and guitarist - add gravitas to the story, as do sound bites from the lady herself, including raw and emotional revelations from her diary.
From her beginnings as Eunice Wayman, a young church pianist - “I studied to be the first black classical pianist, and that’s all I wanted to be” - to her musical comeback after a period of relative anonymity living in Africa, ‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’ attempts to answer its own question. Along the way you find out about her relationship with Andy Stroud, her abusive husband-cum-manager, her struggle with motherhood and ultimately, the diagnosis of Bipolar Depression.
One of the most fascinating elements of the documentary looks at Nina’s involvement with the American Civil Rights movement. Compelled to speak out, Simone wrote a number of songs which focussed on the subject – singing frankly about the persecution of the black population in the south (‘Mississippi God Damn'), as well as seeing the positive in desperate situations (‘I Got Life’) – the latter’s stark lyrics at one with the rather trivial use of them in a recent yoghurt ad.
She became friends with Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, whose daughters regale tales of Nina and her daughter Lisa staying with them at the time. But Simone’s views became extreme; she went against MLK’s peaceful stance and was vocal about using violence to fight back against the authorities. Hearing her speak out so candidly is quite an eye-opener – but then, it seems, that was her style.
‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’ creates an interesting portrait of Nina Simone. Whether or not you’re a fan, it’s a fascinating look at what made her; it pieces together the enormous jigsaw of her life that many misunderstood, and explains a lot of the internal and external struggles she fought to gain success. The film is littered with music – ‘I Loves You Porgy’ and a chilling cover of ‘Strange Fruit’ are just a couple of the songs featured, and the documentary is worth a watch just for these. In particular the final scene of her playing ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ at the Montreaux Jazz Festival – where you’d be hard pressed not to find her performance captivating, and quite honestly, one of genius.
‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’ is an original documentary exclusive to Netflix and is released on June 26, 2015.