His strength no longer needs to be demonstrated. After having sacrificed so much for her profession since the age of thirteen, experiencing as much happiness as overcoming tragedies such as the loss of her dear husband René Angelil in 2016, Céline Dion has always been impressive. She is even more so in the new trailer for the documentary I am Céline Dion where she explains on camera how much her love for song and stage helps her to continue living and fight her terrible illness. On December 8, 2022, the star announced in a trembling voice that she was suffering from a rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome which causes muscle spasms. Doctors know how to more or less stabilize the effects of this autoimmune disease but not cure it. Celine Dion sometimes has great difficulty walking and using her vocal cords with the power to which she is accustomed.
This new trailer, lasting around two minutes, is particularly moving. For example, we see Céline Dion working on the barre of classical dance movements and getting up on the table of a physiotherapist who consoles her when she bursts into tears. She confides: “Working every day is very hard and I must admit, it is a very difficult struggle. I miss performing and singing a lot. The public too.” Her eyes clouded with tears that we guess are sincere, she adds: “If I can no longer run, I can walk. If I can’t walk anymore, I can crawl… I’ll never stop.” And added: “It’s not difficult to prepare a show but cancel it.”
In these few minutes of trailer, American director Irene Taylor obviously had access to Celine Dion’s personal archives. After being collected and sorted by his faithful collaborator Mia Dumont, these souvenirs are kept near Montreal. The montage is touching: the images of the star on stage in front of tens of thousands of fans are intertwined with Celine Dion sitting today, with drawn features, without blow-drying and without makeup.
Through this film, Céline Dion, who had the means to afford the best doctors on the planet, intends to raise awareness of this little-known rare disease and help others obtain a good diagnosis.