Everyday Activist - What Happened, Miss Simone?

Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at 06:00 PM

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Movie Review by Everyday Activist X CalgaryMovies.com

I meant to have this review completed months ago when it made the Oscar long list. I gave myself some leeway because it’s available on Netflix for people to have access. While it wasn’t the emotional roller coaster that Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom was, it probably had more truth to it than the Oscar winner, Amy, did. What Happened, Miss Simone? received the distinguished Peabody Award, which to me is way more important than an Oscar. To give perspective on the types of films that the Peabody Award honors, in 2014, Human Harvest: China's Illegal Organ Trade, starring Canadian Nobel prize nominees David Kilgour and David Matas, also won it. What Happened, Miss Simone? has the same quality of intense drama stemming from this remarkable woman’s life. Director, Liz Gerbus does an elegant job splicing in archival footage of Nina Simone allowing her to tell parts of her own story, along with the traditional documentary style of interviewing those that knew her.

The film starts at the beginning as Eunice Wayman, a child prodigy at the piano, earned her way into a new life. Giving up her childhood to practice, allowed her to study music at university at a time with rampant sexism and racism. When the scholarship money ran out, to support herself and her family she began singing at bars and changed her name to Nina Simone to protect them. As stars rise, they create their own company, hiring managers, lawyers, stage hands. Soon dozens of people rely on the star for their well-being. With so much vested interest, stars are often pushed to the breaking the point and should they do something that isn’t in the best interest of the “company”, they are punished, which Garbus does a fantastic job of documenting using Nina Simone’s journal.

I’m glad I waited to review this, because it fits well with a course I’m taking about the role music plays in social activism. The problem we see time and time again that when super stars take a stand, grow a conscience to do more than entertain, people generally don’t like them as much, whether it’s fans, radio stations or record companies. During the Civil Rights movement, her records were broken and sent back to her; yet she had the power to say what no one else could. Her personal life was rocky, because so many people depended on her success, but she was focused on Civil Rights rather than making money. We see after this period, the stress of being a performer, while trying to manage to stay human, had taken its toll on her and manifested itself as bipolar disorder, a mental illness.

Living in Africa, she had lost all her money and moved to France to perform. Eventually, “friends” helped her get back to stage. People are well meaning, but I can’t help but wonder if other motivations were at work. I’m sure her “friends” were well compensated as she made her comeback in the 1980s. To be fair she did enjoy a better standard of living with their assistance and received the proper care for her medical condition, so I can’t be too judgmental. Last I checked it was still on Netflix. If you have some spare time it’s definitely worth watching.

Calgary Showtimes: What Happened, Miss Simone? >