7 touching moments from Céline Dion's new documentary that made us cry

On Tuesday, June 25, Prime Video debuted the poignant documentary "I am: Céline Dion," which explores the international superstar's battle with the Stiff Person Syndrome disease.

During the first twenty minutes of the Prime Video documentary, Céline Dion confides in us about the impact of Stiff Person Syndrome on her vocal cords.

The star, without makeup and with a melancholy expression, clarifies to the camera:

When I breathe, my lungs work fine. It's what's in front of my lungs that's rigid, because of the stiff person syndrome, and that makes..., she says before trying to sing. But her voice doesn't comply.

She continues in a voice tinged with tears, It's very hard for me to hear this and show you this. 

I don't want anyone to hear that [...] I think I was very talented. I accomplished great things. But there were times when I had to go into the studio and I knew they wanted Céline Dion… the woman who hit the highest notes ever… the best, she continues tearfully. 

In a forthright interview, Céline Dion discusses her childhood in Charlemagne, Canada. She explains that her parents "gave up their dreams" for her thirteen brothers and sisters when she was growing up. 

Sometimes the fridge was empty, she recalls. She never told us: 'We don't have anything to eat tonight' [...] Mom is a superhero. All we got was love, attention and music. That's what forged me. Touching.

Céline Dion has established her career and celebrity status on the strength of her soprano voice. However, when her instrument failed to function optimally, the performer attempted to address the issue by administering an extensive dosage of medication.

We upped the dose, she says. Then I felt a spasm and my voice went up. The medication was no longer working. No more. I was taking between 80 and 90 milligrams of Valium a day, continues the queen of power ballads. 

I don't want to be dramatic, but I could have died. I was taking these drugs to be able to walk [...] to survive. One more pill, then two, then five. Too many pills.

Céline Dion's rationale for consuming an excessive number of pills is straightforward: The show must go on.

Céline Dion employed subterfuge to conceal her anguish from her fans.

When I had to cancel a show, I had to tell people why we were cancelling. You had to lie. I can't lie anymore, reveals the melancholic Quebecoise. 

Sometimes, I'd hand the microphone to the audience and make them sing. Sometimes I'd cheat. I'd tap the mic, as if it were malfunctioning [...] There were times when we had to stop the concert. And I never came back. 

Eyes overwhelmed with tears, the singer confesses, The lie weighs too heavily on me now.

Céline Dion recorded a message for her followers in December 2022 through videos posted on her social media platforms that announced the cancellation of the international tour. The artist also disclosed the nature of the malevolent force that torments her.

The documentary provides a behind-the-scenes perspective on this event and it's aftermath. Once the cameras switch off, Céline Dion unleashes her unbridled sorrow. Do we have the necessary elements? she inquires, wiping her eyes.

Céline Dion, while working in the studio on the score for the 2023 film "Love Again," expressed her concern: I'm not sure I'll be able to sing. But I want to know for sure, she said worriedly. 

If it [my voice] breaks and it doesn't work, I won't be able to do anything. If it does work, I'll be the happiest of women [...] because it will be a step forward. I'll have made progress, she confides to the camera. 

We then observe the singer's efforts at the microphone as she exerts herself to the fullest. Nevertheless, her voice breaks as she attempts to sing with resolute determination, causing her to exhaust herself repeatedly.

People from all over the world have paid good money to see us perform. I feel like an apple tree. People line up for me to give them an apple. The best apple. The shiny one [...] And my branches sometimes fall off. They bend and start producing fewer apples. But the same number of people line up. I don't want them to wait if I don't have any apples to give away, she explains movingly. Maybe I can sing a different kind of repertoire. Then it will be up to them to decide whether they still like me or not.

Celine Dion's documentary concludes with an extremely violent scene as she transfers into the care of her physician following a rigorous recording session. This is the moment a seizure transpires.

Her body tetanizes, and she convulses in front of the camera. She becomes paralyzed, her visage becomes distorted, and she freezes. 

In a sequence that appears to be interminable, she groans in agony, and tears stream down her cheekbones.

It is here that we fully grasp that the severity of stiff-person syndrome is unprecedented. It is evident that the singer has exhibited an extraordinary level of courage by consenting to disclose herself in this agonizing manner.