It’s no secret that her legions of fans adore her.  She’s an iconic, global superstar.  She loves wearing long, flowy loose-fitting shirts and dresses.  Her songs have won multiple Grammys and Oscars.  She made a surprise live appearance at the 2024 Paris  Olympics Opening Ceremonies.  She recently ended a 16-year Las Vegas residency.  And, like many musical superstars, she’s travelled the world but not actually seen it, spending her time in arenas and hotel rooms.

She’s Celine Dion.  And she has a story to tell in I AM: Celine Dion.

Diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, in I Am, Dion allows the world in to see her good, bad and ugly, painful days.  The syndrome attacks the nervous system, affecting only one or two people out of every million.  It is basically an invisible disease.  You can’t tell by simply looking at her.  Dion takes multiple medications and pills just to make it through each day and control the pain.  And she realized something was wrong 17 long years ago.  The world is just catching up with her truth.

She falls often.  She’s unable to walk at times.  When she goes into spasms, imagine when you get a charley horse in your leg but it extends over your entire body.  That’s what it looks like the spasm feels like.  It’s terrifying to watch. The complete loss of control.

She can’t use her voice to sing.  And for someone to whom performing is second nature, the diagnosis was devastating. Music and pleasing her fans is part of her soul, and she misses it terribly.  You know the songs.  ‘The Power Of Love’.  ‘My Heart Will Go On’.  ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me Now’.  This is an intimate portrait of the woman when she’s off stage.  She does not want her fans to see her struggle, but it’s important for her to tell her story, as a woman and as a mother, to help them understand why she’s left the stage, left performing.  She continually mentions how much money fans spend to see her show, and she feels obligated to make them happy.

She comes from a loving family of 13 brothers and sisters.  She has two children of her own.   She tells us that her family is her foundation.  She misses her late husband tremendously.  Dion also adores her performance clothes – she literally has a warehouse-full.  And her shelves full of shoes, in every style and color.  And her fans.  The ones who lift her up and hold her close.  They’re like air to her.  She breathes them in. 

The film feels as if it were shot over the course of a few years, without a timeline to anchor it.  So at times it is difficult to tell where she is on her journey.  But that’s the only fault I can find with this entertaining biopic.  I guarantee, her fans will adore this labor of love, and her, even more, warts and all. And after learning about the path Celine’s life has taken, you’ll find her performance at the Olympics even more astounding, should you choose to go back and watch.

Lisa Blanck is the Associate Editor / Movie Reviewer for In Focus-Magazine.com and is a member of the Critics Association of Central Florida.  Her background includes 30+ years of digital editing for NBC and CBS News affiliates.  She also edits national promotional spots for Matter Of Fact, the #1 nationally syndicated news & information program.  For 30+ years she has covered the Florida Film Festival & the World Peace Film Festival, and has additional award-winning experience in advertising, marketing, promotions and live special events with MTV Networks.