Since 2022, Celine Dion has contended with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), which has severely impacted her work schedule and daily lifestyle. Her new documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, does not hold back showing all Celine has endured, going so far as to show her suffering a seizure, all so people will “understand” the impact of this condition.
Following her diagnosis, Dion has been engaged in a rigorous treatment regimen that’s a combination of vocal therapy, immune therapy, physical rehab, and medication five days a week.
SPS is categorized by muscle stiffness and painful spasms. I Am: Celine Dion takes a personal, vulnerable look at just what SPS looks like in action—and Dion’s graceful strength through this journey.
The new documentary ‘I Am: Celine Dion’ shows the artist enduring a seizure
More and more has been coming out about Celine’s highly anticipated documentary, I Am: Celine Dion. As far as documentaries go, it’s setting a new bar for personal content shared. One particularly memorable sequence of scenes shows Dion championing through a performance of “River Deep – Mountain High” by Tina Turner, only to then be shown strapped to a gurney, tended to by medics.
This was all by careful design, explained director Irene Taylor, who won the Peabody Award for Hear and Now and received an Emmy nomination for Beware the Slenderman. At least, it was by design after the fact. She just happened to be filming when the personal health crisis kicked up; but there was never a debate about not including such grim health scares.
“We were just trying to figure out what was happening,” shared Taylor. “And as Celine likes to say, ‘do not flinch.’ And we did not flinch. We knew enough to shoot now and talk about it later … but there was never a question of whether or not we would include it. I did not show the film to Celine until it was done and the first thing she said to me was, ‘I think this film will help me’ and after a pause, ‘Don’t cut anything away from that scene.’ I think she felt validated and said, ‘Now people will understand.’”
Telling a story that had a purpose to every bit of pain and triumph
While including Celine’s personal struggles and triumphs was always a must, Taylor was mindful of keeping it all meaningful.
“I did not make the film to generate sympathy for her,” explained Taylor, speaking with USA Today. “But it was impossible not to feel for this person.”
That’s because Taylor—and soon audiences viewing I Am: Celine Dion—was privy to some truly heartbreaking scenes. For example, in the documentary, Celine is often seen succumbing to tears, both in general frustration and out of grief, for how SPS has seized so much control of her powerful, beloved voice. Because of SPS, Dion canceled all of her 2023 and 2024 tours, cutting her off from something she treasured that might have provided an emotional reprieve from all SPS was putting her body through.
At one point, the documentary shows Celine briefly awash in triumph after trying to sing for the first time in two years—only to become ensnared in the muscle spasms characteristic of SPS. She is seen going into another room to go through exercises with her physical therapist before she becomes frozen in spasms her therapist called a seizure.
I Am: Celine Dion will be available to stream on Prime Video starting on June 25. Will you be watching?