The film takes fans inside the singer's battle with stiff-person syndrome
"My voice was the conductor of my life," Céline Dion says, in her new documentary, I Am: Celine Dion. For over three decades, the Canadian artist has been entertaining people all over the world. It's something she dreamed of since she was a little girl. In an archival interview clip featured in the film, a young Dion admits that she wants to be performing for the rest of her life.
In 2023, Dion had to hit pause on those dreams and cancel all her tour dates, announcing to fans that she had been battling a neurological disorder known as stiff-person syndrome. For 17 years, Dion had been experiencing spasms, which stumped many doctors. These episodes would impact her voice, which would go up in pitch, leaving the singer unable to control her vocal chords at times. "We now know this is what's been causing all the spasms," Dion said, in a 2022 video statement she released. "Unfortunately these spasm affect every aspect of my daily life."
I Am: Celine Dion is the first time Dion is peeling back the curtains and allowing her fans into her personal struggles with the illness, giving a glimpse into her day-to-day life in the past year as she slowly works her way back to performing onstage. Dion's signature sense of humour is on display as she takes viewers on a tour of her warehouse where she houses all her famous outfits, but moments of vulnerability also come through as she walks us through her new routines and even lets cameras roll during an intense episode where her spasms escalate into a crisis.
Below are five things we learned from I Am: Celine Dion, which is available on Amazon Prime today.
Dion broke down in tears after revealing that she and her team had lied to fans about the reasons behind cancelled shows while she was privately battling SPS. From saying she had sinus infections or claiming she had ear infections, Dion found it challenging to not be honest with her supporters about why she couldn't perform, and said that the weight of the lie had become too much. During the shows she did perform while struggling with her vocals, she admitted she would point her mic at the crowd to get them to sing for her.
One of the ways Dion tried to treat her illness was by taking Valium. But she admitted its effects would wear off between the time she took it backstage and when she walked onstage. "I needed medicine to function. One more pill, two more pills, five more pills. Too many pills," she revealed. At one point her dosage rose up to 90 milligrams, a fatal amount. "I don't want to sound dramatic," she added, "but I could have died."
In a tender moment, Dion showed off a stunning charmed necklace gifted to her by her late husband, René Angélil. There weren't that many moments in the film that show Dion talking about Angélil without sounding sad, but she lit up when she revealed that his present was significant because the necklace used to belong to renowned opera singer Maria Callas. Dion then explained that she wears it to gain strength, and looks thrilled to put it on. It's no secret that Dion is a fan of Callas -- her 2007 album D'elles included "La diva," a powerful tribute to the soprano.
While preparing to film an interview for the John Farnham documentary, John Farnham: Finding the Voice, Dion watched an old performance of his on a laptop. She remarked on Farnham's voice, noting how jealous she was of rock singers ("super cool people," she describes) who are able to party late, drink and smoke, then wake up with the perfect raspy voice. "Me, I have water and I sleep 12 hours," she joked. Dion has called Farnham one of her favourite singers of all time, and the two performed the Australian star's famous song "You're the Voice" onstage in 2018. In a recent interview with the Australian program Sunrise, Dion said: "It's prophetic that I performed 'You're the Voice' with him, then I lost my voice."
Throughout the film, Dion is seen stretching and warming up her vocal chords, all in an effort to return to the stage in the future. Intercut with various clips of her performing in the past, it's clear that Dion has to re-learn how to move and sing, but has made great progress in the past few years. Cameras followed her into a studio space as she recorded "Love Again" from the 2023 rom-com of the same name, which she starred in. "I want to be able to sing with joy, without thinking," she said, after a few frustrating takes.
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