I Am: Celine Dion is a 2024 American documentary film directed by Irene Taylor, which centers around Canadian singer Celine Dion.[3] The film details Dion's life, career accomplishments and battle with stiff-person syndrome. It premiered in New York City on 17 June 2024 and was given a limited theatrical release on 21 June 2024 by Amazon MGM Studios.[4] It became available for streaming on 25 June 2024, on Amazon Prime Video.[5] In Francophone countries, the film was titled Je suis: Céline Dion. It received rave reviews from critics, who called it a raw and honest behind-the-scenes look at the iconic superstar's struggle with a life-altering illness. The documentary became the number one movie on Amazon Prime Video worldwide. It also became Prime Video's all-time most popular documentary. The I Am: Celine Dion soundtrack was released on 21 June 2024.
Production
Sony Music Entertainment announced in September 2021 that a feature-length documentary was in the works.[6] The official title of the film was announced in January 2024, with Amazon MGM Studios acquiring distribution rights.[7] The trailer for the film was released on 23 May 2024.[8]
Reception
Critical reception
Upon release, I Am: Celine Dion received rave reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 43 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Cutting through cliché with an earnest and open closet of vulnerability, I Am is a moving portrait of resilience, proving that Celine Dion will go on."[9]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 76 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[10]
Chris Azzopardi of The New York Times stated "Dion's voice made her a star; this film is keen on making her a person".[11] Peter Debruge of Variety wrote "like all things Celine Dion, 'I Am' feels intensely personal and sincere".[11] According to Suzannah Ramsdale of Evening Standard the film is "a raw, heartbreaking and deeply moving window into the reclusive life of a once-in-a-generation talent cut down in its prime".[11] Diego Batlle of otroscines.com wrote that I Am: Celine Dion is "a visceral, cathartic, confessional film and - in its way - as beautiful as it is valuable".[11] Dennis Schwartz of Ozus's World Movie Reviews concluded that the film is an inspirational documentary.[11]
Audience viewership
I Am: Celine Dion became the number one movie on Amazon Prime Video worldwide.[12] It was the most watched film on Amazon Prime Video from 21 to 27 June 2024 within its first three days of release with viewership of 82.8 million minutes watched.[13] The film saw an 83% increase in viewership on its second week, garnering 151.2 million minutes watched.[14] In July 2024, I Am: Celine Dion became Prime Video's all-time most popular documentary.[15][16]
Music
The I Am: Celine Dion soundtrack was released on 21 June 2024.[17] The album includes 13 of Dion's essential hits, along with seven original score tracks mainly composed by Redi Hasa and produced by Alberto Fabris.
Songs used in the film in chronolgical order
All songs performed by Celine Dion, except where noted.
