Whitney: Can I Be Me

Nick Broomfield’s new documentary about Whitney Houston is a portrait of a woman whose extraordinary voice and rare beauty brought fame and fortune that, instead of bringing happiness, led to her ultimate demise.

Whitney: Can I Be Me compiles historical and behind the scenes footage, media clips, and interviews with family and close associates, splicing together a fractured biography. Yet it still feels like it has missing pieces. This probably has a lot to do with Whitney’s extremely reserved and reticent nature.

Much is made of the close friendship between Whitney and her assistant Robyn Crawford, with a strong suggestion that they were in fact, in love. Conspicuously little is made of the highly reported violence that devastated Whitney’s marriage to Bobby Brown.

The film is longer than it needs to be, sagging and feeling repetitive at about the three-quarter mark, however it is still a heart-breaking look at the slow disintegration of a gifted woman who only wanted to find and live her truth.

★★★

Reviewed by Rita Bratovich.