There’s a reason some people refer to Celine Dion as the “queen of pop.” Her gravity-defying vocals have inspired a generation of singers on the way to selling more than 200 million albums worldwide churning out such iconic hits as “My Heart Will Go On,” “The Power of Love,” “Because You Loved Me” and “All By Myself,” among many others. But in 2022 the indomitable power vocalist shared that she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder Stiff Person Syndrome.
The rare neurological disorder that can cause uncontrolled muscle spasms that make it hard to move forced Dion to cancel her planned 2023 tour as her sister revealed that the singer had “no control” over her muscles. Her difficult journey navigating the disease is the subject of the moving documentary I Am: Celine Dion, whose first trailer was unveiled on Thursday morning (May 23).
The two-minute teaser opens with Dion, 56, in her prime, belting out one of her patented power ballad notes in the studio as she playfully worries if the sound man survived the vocal onslaught. “My voice is the conductor of my life,” Dion says in voice-over over footage of her on stage throughout the years. “When your voice brings you joy, you’re the best of yourself… I need my instrument.”
Then, the Canadian singer — who has been wowing audiences around the world since she was a teenager — delves into being diagnosed with SPS as an unseen voice is heard calling 9-1-1 to report a medical emergency. “I wasn’t ready to say anything before… but I’m ready now,” Dion says exhaling deeply with a pained look on her face in one of the first prolonged glimpses of her since the diagnosis took her out of the public eye.
Walking through her costume archive, Dion says, “I see my life, and I love every piece of it. When a girl loves her shoes, she’ll always make them fit,” as she stands in front of racks of her stage gear. The rest of the trailer jumps between live footage of a vibrant, electric Dion on stage at various times in her career as she describes the “magic” she’s created in concert over four decades in the spotlight.
“It’s not hard to do a show, you know?,” she says over footage of her taking her daily regimen of pills, doctor’s appointments and a catch in the backyard with one of her three sons. “It’s hard to cancel a show.” Dion says she’s working hard every day to get better, as evidenced by film of her practicing ballet moves in a studio. “But I have to admit,” she says tearily, “it’s been a struggle. I miss it so much, the people. I miss them. If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl.”
The trailer ends with Dion in the studio belting an unheard song as she promises, “I won’t stop” over the strains of one of her most beloved power ballads, 1996’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.” The Amazon MGM Studios film was directed by Irene Taylor (Beware the Slenderman) and will debut on Prime Video on June 25.
Watch the I Am: Celine Dion trailer below.
