Dion assures that her “passion as an artist will never fade,” despite her health issues, which she says are only a small part of her monumental story. “I am not dead,” said the singer on Monday (17), before the premiere of the moving but also joyful documentary “I am: Céline Dion” (Eu Sou: Celine Dion). The film focuses on her successful career and more recent issues related to a rare neurological disease that forced her to retire from the stage. For the Canadian artist, the decision to speak about her illness in the documentary is both “the greatest gift and the greatest responsibility” and she hopes to inspire people in similar situations. “It’s difficult to be here,” she admitted to the press, although “at the same time, I’m very moved,” she said in her native French. “I feel like I still have a lot of support and a lot of love, and I hope this documentary helps me, because it helped me a lot,” he said, thanking his family, staff medical and fans for their support in this “eternity”. and daily struggle.

Authentic

The 56-year-old artist, known for hits like “My Heart Will Go On,” from the “Titanic” soundtrack, revealed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (RPS). , a progressive autoimmune disease with no cure. this forced her to cancel her performances indefinitely.

Irene Taylor, the film’s director, told AFP that Dion’s only request was to be able to tell her own story, in her own words.

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“It was like music to my storyteller ears,” Taylor said. “She opened up and was very authentic,” both “in her joy and in her suffering,” reported the director.

Love letter

But the film also documents the severity of Dion’s pain, including a lengthy sequence that shows, in harrowing detail, the singer suffering a seizure. The scene, in which she appears motionless and unable to speak, brought many viewers to tears.

Despite the sad scenes, the common thread of the documentary is not so much his illness, but rather his love for family, friends and music.

The singer is visibly distraught over the loss of her privileged voice, but it is her joie de vivre and unwavering sense of humor that shines through in the film.

The documentary about Dion, who has sold more than 250 million albums throughout her career, will be available worldwide June 25 on Prime Video.

Earlier this year, Celine made a surprise appearance at the Grammys to present the album of the year award to Taylor Swift in one of her rare public appearances after revealing she suffered from RPS.

Before the screening, in front of a packed room in Manhattan, Dion compared herself to an apple tree, a metaphor she also uses in the film: she always felt the need to bear bright fruit for her fans, who were ready to pay a lot. sums of money to see her.

Dion became emotional while describing a recent comment from a fan, who told her in a message: “We’re not here for the apples…we’re here for the tree.” »

“This film is my love letter to each of you,” he said to a huge ovation. “And I hope to see you again very soon.”

*With information from AFP