What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) User Reviews

Whether or not you've heard of Miss Simone, you really should give this film a try.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 26 June 2015]

I've got to be up front about this...I don't remember hearing anything about Nina Simone before I watched this film. While she was a very famous jazz performer, her meteoric career all but fizzled by the time I was a very young child. I also am not a particular fan of modern jazz, either. So in some ways, I am not the ideal audience for this wonderful new documentary from Liz Garbus. However, because of my work in the mental health field, the film really resonated with me and I think you should give it a look as well. Apparently, Netflix ALSO thinks you should be watching it, as they send out a mass emailing to many people recommending you see this new film--which you now can thanks to their streaming service.

Nina was a child prodigy at the piano. However this was back in the 1930s...and she was a tiny black girl growing up in the South. Yet despite the racially charged climate, she had a spark of genius-- such that despite the times, she was helped by people to help realize her dream of being a musician. However, instead of the concert classical pianist she was trained to be, she sort of accidentally fell into the jazz industry and was soon known at least as much as her singing as her genius at the piano. This led to a lot of financial success in the 1950s and into the 60s and life was looking grand for this lady.

So how, then, at the height of her fame did Simone's career start to slip? And why did she walk away from this life? This confusing journey about mental illness, to me, is the most interesting part of this documentary. While it's not perfect (a lot of her more bizarre behaviors later in life are omitted from the story as well as her second marriage), the film is extremely rare in quality and is extremely well made. Considering that Simone died from cancer over a decade ago, this should have been a very tough film to make. Yet, fortunately, they had recordings and diaries of Simone speaking her mind and explaining her strange journey through life. Garbus also was fortunate to have Simone's daughter's cooperation as well as her first husband and friends--giving you amazing access into Simone's world as well as into her mental illness that impacted but never destroyed her career. This sort of access alone is more than enough reason to see this film.

By the way, if you like this film, also trying watching another great Garbus documentary, Bobby Fischer Against the World. The character in this film is, in many ways, much like Simone--with lots of brilliance as well as lots of personal demons.

Very compelling documentary.

[subxerogravity · 8/10 · 11 July 2015]

The documentary does a great job of telling the story of Nina Simone, though archive footage and interviews by those close to her, like her own daughter.

The documentary seems to focus on her erratic behavior, which caused her career to take a downfall.

I thought the filmmakers did a great job of actually expressing her behavior. It really captured the changes in her life from moment to moment. The way it just cut from one time to another made me feel the passion and understand how Nina must have felt when she got into the Civil Rights movement.

I did not know much about Nina Simone before the doc, only that people would tell me she was great, but the documentary showed me how great she was. It did a good job of connecting her with the viewer.

Catch it on Netflix.

Engrossing, passionate and powerful documentary of an incredible life

[themadmovieman · 7/10 · 5 August 2015]

This is a very powerful and passionate documentary that tells the life of the legendary Nina Simone in great fashion. With a brilliant collection of stock footage that not only looks at Simone as a music icon but also a hugely significant civil rights activist and a person, this is a fascinating and engrossing documentary.

Going into this, I knew next to nothing about Nina Simone. The Civil Rights Movement has always been fascinating to me, but the musicians involved, I didn't think much.

However, this documentary makes all of that even more enthralling to learn about, and extremely accessible to non-experts. If you haven't ever heard of Nina Simone, you can easily go into this film and be engrossed by the entire story.

In terms of the way that this film tells the whole story, it's very impressive. Structurally, it's a bit of a by-the-books documentary, but if you get deeper into it, you discover that it's a very passionate and fitting tribute to Simone's life.

The first period of the film details her rise to fame in the jazz world in the 1950s from her lowly beginnings in a southern town, and shows you all sorts of fascinating clips from her childhood that show what a struggle her journey was, and from her earliest performances that gave birth to a genius in the music industry.

With interviews from both herself and her closest friends and family, you also get an extremely personal look into this story. For all of the hype surrounding her musical talent, there's still a very touching smaller story about Simone as a person. Ultimately, it's a sad story that she suffered so much from personal demons and domestic issues, however this film really allows you to empathise with a person that was, at her time, so aggressive and loud.

That's where the story about her as a civil rights activist comes in. This film thinks very highly of her role in the entire movement, rightly placing her amidst historical titans like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael. It talks about how she brought attention to the movement to a different crowd, and in a different way, and despite her disagreements with King's non-violent protest tactics and her support for a more aggressive approach, her importance cannot be understated.

Overall, this is a great documentary, that not only gives you an accessible historical insight into the life of this incredible personality, but one that will both entertain and fully engross you.

www.themadmovieman.com

Moving and timely

[baruch-253-895548 · 10/10 · 26 June 2015]

"What Happened, Miss Simone?" pulls you right into the life of the little girl, Eunice Waymon, who becomes Nina Simone. Through skillful use of archival audio and film, interviews and other contextual materials, and clearly with a genuine appreciation and love for the subject, Liz Garbus has found the thread that strings all of this material together; the genius and passion of a driven artist. Hearing the familiar songs with their stories, and learning about Nina's life journey, all somehow fits powerfully with contemporary racial issues in the US. This film can serve to educate, and inspire, as we continue to navigate the tortuous path to justice. Thank you for making this film, and bringing Nina Simone to even more people.

Mrs. Backlash Blues

[bland-kevin67 · 8/10 · 20 July 2015]

The telling of Nina's story through the words of her family and old footage from her as well is truly moving and unsettling. I felt the closing in of the events that lead to her fame, fall, and fatality. It seems as if everyone was affected by the power of her illness which was fueled by the times. I am not sure if one accelerated the other. Growing up in the south and traveling all over the world does something to you. You become enlightened and the junk that was going on in the US over race was ludicrous and enraging. I am not sure if I could deal with that back then either. Nina was truly ahead of her time but got stuck in time due to the violence of those times. I love the way she expressed her disdain for the instrument of her fame and I also loved the attitude she had about her own voice. I grew up listening to this strange voice and at first I could not figure out if it was a man or woman until further into the album. This documentary is a timely tribute to the singer and it also allowed us to see what she was going through and why she fell off the face of the earth for a while. I look at her from a different pair of eyes now and I am grateful to know her story.

An Engaging Documentary About Soul's National Treasure

[blakiepeterson · 6/10 · 1 July 2015]

Nina Simone is a national treasure. Don't lump her together with the Arethas, the Donnas, the Esthers; she was a soul singer of tremendous originality and personality. She didn't have to enthusiastically remind a man to r-e-s-p-e-c-t her, to rely on anybody besides herself to let her potent baritone shake the bodies of the public — whether a song she shared with the world was written by a pop professional or her and herself alone, Simone's voice never allowed, and still doesn't allow, for casual listening. You want to jump up and find a pair of expensive soundproof headphones just so you can absorb the stealth of her voice and her Baby Grand. Nothing can compare.

"What Happened, Miss Simone?", directed by documentarian Liz Garbus, captures everything most adored about Simone and the things that made her a particularly flawed human. There are plenty of moments left for us to sit back and let chills creep up our arm through astonishing concert footage, but there are also moments that let it be known that Simone, though a national treasure, was a woman continuously suffering with inner demons left untouched throughout most of her career.

New aspects of her complicated life are brought to us through several interviews, mostly with her daughter (who drops a bomb by informing us that after the dissolution of Simone's marriage to her father did she become an abusive wrecking ball). The film goes all the way back to Simone's lonely childhood, in which she dedicated most of her time to her demanding classical piano career, to her final years as a performer. What happened in- between is much more compelling than I ever expected; I knew that Simone began as a crooner in the diva category, eventually turning her attention to Civil Rights (as evidenced by remarkable songs such as "Mississippi Goddam" and "Strange Fruit"), but I didn't realize how much she suffered in her life. She was an undiagnosed manic depressive for the majority of her career. Her husband/manager hit her on a regular basis. She almost faded into homelessness after her mental disorders completely took over in the 1970s.

"What Happened, Miss Simone" is such a good documentary because it as much idolizes Simone as it does sees her at a ground level; some documentaries view their subject as a star, never slowing down to cover the details that might make them look bad. But Garbus' knack for balancing wonder with sorrow (highs and lows are at the most shattering during Simone's performance at the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival and her daughter's admission that she was suicidal because of Simone's abuse as a teenager) is supreme, making for a well-rounded doc both informational and unglamorous. It represents Simone for who she really was, and though I would prefer a potential feature length, perhaps focusing on a particularly harrowing point in her life, "What Happened, Miss Simone" goes over everything we could ever want to know about Simone. There's just a feeling of unplaceable skimpiness, as though Garbus wanted to make an on screen biography, paying more attention to some things than others. But I can hardly complain — I liked Simone then, and I like her even more now. Presently, however, I feel like I understand her. No longer can I listen to my favorite Simone LP, "Pastel Blues", in the same way.

Essential Viewing.

[bennybrown · 10/10 · 10 June 2020]

"How can you be an artist and not reflect the times?" Miss Simone's words and they resonate more profoundly then ever.

The documentary was meaningful and sad and beautiful and tragic and 100% necessary.

There's a point in the film where someone close to her says that everyone has the same experience when they hear Nina Simone for the first time. When you hear her the second time, you know exactly who it is. (paraphrased)

This documentary has been in my watchlist for over a year, and I knew it was going to be emotional... but now, more than ever, seemed like the perfect time to take it in and learn more about her life. And in doing so, you come to understand that she lived a life that had so much purpose and intent.

Of all the interviews in the movie, I found the ones with Malcom X's daughter, Attallah Shabazz to be the most interesting: "Are we allowed to be exactly who we are? Was Nine Simone allowed to be exactly who she was? As fragile as she was strong, as vulnerable as she was dynamic, she was African royalty. How does royalty stomp around in the mud and still walk with grace? Most people are afraid to be as honest as she lived."

Sit Down!

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 16 January 2016]

Greetings again from the darkness. Classical pianist, extraordinary singer, highly sought after live performer, Civil Rights activist, and inspiration to so many … it's only fitting that Nina Simone is now the subject of an Oscar nominated documentary. Talented filmmaker Liz Garbus (also Oscar nominated for 1998's The Farm: Angola, USA) provides a biography that is both a deep-dig and somewhat gentle look at this fascinating and troubled woman.

Born Eunice Waymon in North Carolina during the Jim Crow era, she was the church pianist at age 4, and later studied classical piano with the dream of becoming the first black female classical pianist to play Carnegie Hall. While attending Julliard, she worked at an Atlantic City bar where, in an effort to hide the gig from her parents, she created the stage name Nina Simone (after the popular French actress Simone Signoret). It was also at this bar where she was first forced to sing … a step that changed the course of her life.

The film begins by showing her return to the stage at the1976 Montreaux Festival in Switzerland after a seven year self-imposed exile (most recently in Liberia). We then head back to her humble childhood and follow her progression as she blends her Bach-influenced piano style with an expressive vocal style in jazz, gospel, pop, R&B and soul … resulting in the nickname "High Priestess of Soul".

What we see is a woman with remarkable talent and ferocious drive who just never is satisfied with society or her place in it … despite the positive impact she had as a musician and activist. Ms. Garbus uses some rare archival performance footage … such as her singing "I Loves You Porgy" while appearing on Hugh Hefner's "Playboy Penthouse TV show and "Mississippi Goddam" during the march with Martin Luther King. We also hear Nina telling her own story through previously unheard audio recordings, and we have access to diary entries and personal letters. These are combined with insightful interviews from her ex-husband and manager Andrew Stroud, collaborators like Al Shackman (her guitarist) and George Wein (founder of Newport Jazz Festival), and her daughter Lisa Simone Kelly.

What we soon see is a combination of other-worldly talent and a woman filled with rage and depression, and who is isolated inside her own uneasiness. Her later diagnosis and medication for bi-polar syndrome allowed her to better function in those last years. Her lack of attentiveness to her kids is kind of glossed over, but we understand how it made sense for her kids to spend more time at the home of the Shabazz family (Malcolm X) than with their own parents.

It's a shame that Ms. Simone could never appreciate her achievements, the impact she had in the Civil Rights movement and the inspiration her music brought to so many. Even playing Carnegie Hall was not enough for her as she wasn't on stage as the classical pianist of her dreams. Her biggest mainstream musical recognition stemmed from her song "My Baby Just Cares for Me" being used for a1987 Chanel No. 5 advertisement, but fortunately the rest of us can understand her place in history as a rare talent and societal influencer. She truly put a spell on us.

Stars...They Come and Go

[jadepietro · 9/10 · 17 July 2015]

(Rating: ☆☆☆½ out of 4)

This film is highly recommended.

In brief: A documentary that expertly shows the rise and fall of a gifted performer.

GRADE: B+

A riveting documentary entitled What Happened, Miss Simone? by Liz Garbus shows the tragedy of a singer-songwriter through her journals, interviews, and rare archival footage.The film covers similar ground as we watch the downward spiral of yet another gifted performer.

Talented at a young age and trained as a classical pianist, Nina Simone fought against poverty and prejudice to make her mark in the music industry. Like Ms. Winehouse, Miss Simone was a manic depressive performer on the road to fame and fortune. She too dealt with an abusive family member, her husband and manager Andrew Stroud, had numerous bouts with alcohol and violent mood swings amid her frequent mental disorders. At the peak of her career, her finances were a shamble as was her marriage and she became an advocate for the civil rights movement, although her methods became extremely volatile and radicalized in her later years.

This documentary (never distributed in regional movie theaters and available now on Netflix) uses her concert performances and more archival footage from famous celebrities like Hugh Hefner, Dick Gregory, and Stokely Carmichael to narrate Miss Simone's turbulent life. But the most effective interview comes from her daughter Lisa Simone Kelly who narrates the film with a grace and understanding that is genuinely moving. She eloquently reflects back on her life memories about an unhappy home and a mentally ill mother incapable of loving her unconditionally.

Ms. Garbus, the director, offers numerous songs from her repertoire that highlight the talented jazz vocalist, but too often the filmmaker sacrifices these vivid live performances and never plays out the entire concert piece which undercuts the essence of Miss Simone legend. (There is a segment with Miss Simone singing Janis Ian's Stars that is so visceral and raw in its brilliance.) There are also some gaps about certain times in her life that would have been more riveting if the filmmaker have been granted more access to the early archives of this singer. Nevertheless, the film tells a gripping story of a woman who found fame and fortune but lost her way to find real happiness.

Ms. Garbus' tribute to one of the greatest jazz vocalists is worthy of your attention.

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A stark reminder of an extraordinary talent

[paul2001sw-1 · 7/10 · 30 September 2015]

Nina Simone was an extraordinary artist, a singer with an amazing, androgynous voice, a pianist from the age of four, a master of many styles (yet each one made distinctively her own), and a performer who put an amazing amount of herself into every song she sang. But she was also a frequently unhappy woman, a sufferer from manic depression, and while she was involved in the struggle for black civil rights in the United States, she did not allow herself the indulgence of viewing the outcome of that fight with satisfaction. 'What Happened, Miss Simone?' tells the story of her life and career with songs, comments from friends, and extensive excerpts from interviews she gave. It's fascinating, but also overlong, and while many assert the Nina was a difficult woman, few actually describe the reality of living with her in detail, which is a bit frustrating: she was a private person when not on stage, and the frailties hinted at in her public performances are never completely explained. You finish this documentary wanting to know more; but also, perhaps, feeling you could have been told what you've just learnt in a little less time.

"To be Young Gifted and Black"

[kijii · 10/10 · 1 November 2016]

If you have Netflix streaming, you really should see this fascinating documentary!! Though I lived through the 50s and 60s, I don't remember Nina Simone (born in 1933 in North Carolina as Eunice Waymon) except in a very obscure way: an expatriated American icon of some sort. Yet, she had unbelievable talents that broke all boundaries of instrumental and vocal performing.

From childhood, she was trained in classical piano and was ready to become the first Black Woman to perform in Carnegie Hall. However, due to her life circumstances, she became something else. She became someone with totally unique abilities—abilities and feelings that transcended all types of music, poetry, and social activism. Yet, she had a very tragic life that is a story in itself.

I have never seen a documentary that so perfectly captures a life of a very complicated person as well as this one did!! What's equally amazing is that there were so many video clips available (from so many different venues and over so much time) to use in putting this story personal story together.

How does one talk about Nina Simone and her life? How do you classify her music or performing skills? Is it classical piano—gospel—jazz—soul— folk—social activism —poetry—or what? She wrote many songs that only she could written: she was the first black American to really express, in music, what so many people could only express in words (Malcolm X, James Baldwin), plays (Lorraine Hansberry) or poetry (Langston Hughes). And--as a black WOMAN--she expressed the anger that black men could not hope to at the time as in "Mississippi Goddam."

Her songs are also about freedom as well as her search to find her black identity as in "To be Young Gifted and Black" (inspired by Loranie Hansberry's play).

I'm convinced that the only way—or at least the best way--to BEGIN to understand Nina Simone is through this great documentary that follows her life from her childhood to death in the south of France!! Both her daughter and her former husband are narrators of the documentary, which gives us even more insight into her struggles.

Lots of access to images and music...doc story needs more emotion around the woman

[xaymacagal · 7/10 · 26 July 2015]

I woke up reflecting on "What Happened, Miss Simone?" and am now feeling like I spent last night sitting through some home movies at a family reunion.

Am thinking that a documentary about the great Nina Simone should have left me feeling like I had thrown back five vodka martinis (all imagined folks...I don't roll like that)....

Am thinking about the times...her deep isolation as a child prodigy...her musical mentors...her contemporaries (Malcolm, Stokely, Belafonte, Farrakhan -- all four Caribbean men BTW, Jimmy B, the Panthers, Mahalia, Maya, et. al. ...her art in service of the movement...her ambivalence about European classical music vs. pop/jazz/movement music...her moodiness at performances that rivaled Miles' darkness...her many musical collaborators...her unbound sexual appetite...her mental illness...her exile to West Africa then Europe...her money troubles...her abandonment of her child...her husband's financial, emotional, and physical violence...her white savior...race...colorism....

I mean, this is the woman who did this: >>>One time in New York I went to see an off-Broadway play with Bill Dukes and Brock Peters - two fine black actors - in the cast. I thought the roles they played were insulting to black people, and I got up there on stage in the middle of the show and told them so. I stopped the play in its tracks to ask them why they were doing trash like that. One of them said something about needing the money, but that was no excuse. They apologized, and took me home in a cab. I was half-crazy with anger that night, a woman on fire, and that was how I felt most of the time as I watched my people struggling for their rightful place in America. <<< This is an extract from her autobiography, I Put a Spell On You http://www.goodreads.com/bo…/show/88328.I_Put_a_Spell_on_You

This doc could have been toothier if the filmmakers had focused on the woman and her extraordinary life...and perhaps not given as much space to her ex-husband and her daughter....

A Flawed Portrayal

[sean-189-814852 · 4/10 · 10 July 2015]

It's not that the subjects and facts relayed in this documentary are incorrect. But it is such a one-sided view of Nina Simone, without a focus on her amazing achievements. More of a "let me tell you the truth about my crazy Mother". Honestly - I could care less about Nina's depression, and abusive behavior. I admire her courage and her incredible talent. Not a mention of her music really - it functions more as a backdrop to this angry, slightly sad, slightly defeated so-called "objective" rendering of her life.

Cinematography and visuals are interesting and powerful. But anecdotes are all on the negative side. As Oscar said, Every great man nowadays has his disciples, and it is usually Judas who writes the biography. In this case, Judas is the kids. And a few friends and family, who come off genuine really don't help the cause that one's life should be framed by one's flaws and failures.

Nina Simone should be remembered and celebrated for her amazing career and accomplishments. This documentary is more of a negative footnote to all of that and can easily be forgotten.

Reminder That the Civil Rights Movement Is Not a Thing of the Past

[evanston_dad · 8/10 · 9 March 2016]

Two of the 2015 Academy Award nominees for Best Documentary Feature dealt with artists (specifically singers) who were ultimately undone by their self-destructive tendencies. "Amy" told the sad story of Amy Winehouse, whose struggles with addiction and eating disorders cut her life and career tragically short. "What Happened, Miss Simone?" is about Nina Simone, who used her music to fuel the anger of the civil rights movement until her flame burnt out. Both women changed the nature of their art form; both women were taken from the world much too soon.

But for all the similarities, the stories of the two women are quite different. Amy Winehouse is a pathetic figure. We watch as she passively lets fame destroy her. Nina Simone, on the other hand, is full of rage, rage that vents itself through her music. If Winehouse lets strife happen to her, we get the sense that Simone brings it on herself. It's as if she can't handle the anger that a sense of injustice toward the world stokes inside her and destroys herself as a way to be rid of it.

Watching Simone sing "Mississippi Goddamn" while seeing images of the Civil Rights movement, images evocative of the recent violence toward blacks perpetrated by law enforcement officials throughout the country, brought home to me how far we still need to go in our efforts toward racial equality and why the slogan "Black Lives Matter" should be heeded by all.

Grade: A-

Extraordinary talent, fascinating film, Mississippi Goddam

[Sasha_Lauren · 10/10 · 9 June 2020]

This remarkable documentary about jazz great, civil rights auteur, brilliant, original musician, Nina Simone, explores her roots and route from being born Eunice Waymon in North Carolina, (1933 the Jim Crow era), to taking the musical scene and world of raw, unfettered activism by the goddams and blending them into a pallet beyond compare.

Hoah! And I thought the Amy Winehouse bio was captivating and difficult to watch.

What Happened, Miss Simone? is a bold, fierce piece fitting of the Patron Saint of the Rebellion, who trained to be the first black female classical pianist and dreamt of performing at Carnegie Hall. At her first recital, her parents were told to stand in the back because they were black. Little Eunice had none of that, and they were seated in the front row.

Nina's peformances, naturally, are extraordinary, more so as they are woven within the context of her life story. Her rendition of 'Mississippi Goddam' is a highlight in this film, punched up by the well presented history of the 1960s civil rights movement. Nina made clear she was not non-violent, and was interested in achieving freedom and justice no matter what it took. Her rage was channeled into her music; she sang and played with passion to change this wild world.

Nina's daughter Lisa, (grounded, articulate, and empathetic), serves as one of our guides through Nina's life. Lisa's admiration for her mother's genius, hard work, courage, and sacrifice mingle with her painful recollections of being abandoned by her. After beatings by her husband, losing audiences because of her fierce devotion to singing only political songs, and erratic behavior of highs and lows, (later labeled bi-polar disorder), Nina left her young daughter and everything behind to seek liberty in Liberia.

The description of the bad effects of the psych medication Nina was put on were disturbing.

Nina was turned away from applying to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia due to racism; later and in her life, the Institute gave her an honorary degree.

What Happened, Miss Simone?

[jboothmillard · 7/10 · 27 November 2016]

I make it my mission every year to try and watch as many, if not all, of the films nominated in all categories at the Oscars, so it was no surprise that I would watch this documentary film nominated, and the subject of it was going to be interesting as well. Nina Simone, real name Eunice Kathleen Waymon, was born 21 February 1933, this film depicts the life of the American singer-songwriter and civil rights activist, charting her rise to fame, and her hardships during her stardom. During her childhood Nina became a classically trained pianist, and eventually got her break, using a new name, to disguise her identity from her family. Nina made an early appearance alongside Hugh Hefner for a Playboy television show, and rose to fame with her various stage and television appearances, with a broad range of music styles, including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel and pop. During the 1960s however, black people faced prejudice, Nina was a great supporter of the work of activist Martin Luther King, until he was murdered. Nina incorporated her own messages for civil rights into the lyrics of her songs, but this meant many were not played on radio, but she picked herself back up. Nina was known for her temper and frequent outbursts, sometimes occurring during her performances, and she had to struggle not just with racism, but domestic abuse and political turmoil. Eventually, at the height of her fame, Nina decided to walk away from her family, country, career and fans, to move to Liberia and give up performing, she did however return for one last performance many years later. Nina Simone published her autobiography, I Put a Spell on You, in 1992, recorded her last album the same year, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the late 1980s, but died in her sleep on 21 April 2003, after suffering from breast cancer. With contributions by Lisa Simone Kelly, Nina's daughter; civil rights activist and comedian Dick Gregory, Stanley Crouch, Al Schackman, Ambassador Attallah Shabazz and Ilyasah Shabazz. Featuring her most famous songs, including "I Loves You, Porgy", "I Put a Spell on You", "Ain't Got No, I Got Life" (from the Muller advert) and "My Baby Just Cares for Me". Made up of autobiographical tapes, archive footage of news with Walter Cronkite, references to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, and interviews by those who knew her best, this is a fascinating (in both good and bad ways) story of one of the most famous African-American singers, it makes you realise she was not just a great artist but a troubled soul, a most watchable biographical music documentary. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Documentary. Very good!

"What does it mean to be free?" "No fear!"

[putrefatismo · 10/10 · 22 July 2019]

It feels like a sharp slap to the face, seeing a black woman use her music, her fierceness and her incalable voice to denounce the violences black folks went through in America while remaining bold and fiery at the face of racism and sexism. Nina was more than a musical genius, with her perfect classical piano training and her deep baritone voice; Nina was a warrior, a true inspiration for black women all around the world to take the places in which their presence isn't tolerated. This documentary perfectly shows the nuances of her being - the boldness, the talent, the conflict, the pain - and it perfectly makes you understand a lot more about Nina not only as an artist, but also as a human being.

Weighed Down by Simplicity, Rises Above with Tenderness and Sincerity

[DareDevilKid · 7/10 · 26 January 2016]

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)

Rating: 3.6/5 stars

"What Happened, Miss Simone?" is an often electric, mostly pulsating, well-presented, heartfelt, but at times, too simplistic, unchallenging, and hurried documentary on a great singer's and enigmatic showperson's troubled and complex life. On stage Nina Simone was known for her utterly free, uninhibited musical expression, which enthralled audiences and attracted lifelong fans. But amid the violent, haunting, and senseless day-to-day tribulations of the civil rights era in 1960s America, Simone struggled to reconcile her artistic identity and ambition with her devotion to a movement. Culled from hours of autobiographical tapes and video logs, this documentary unveils the unmitigated ego of a brilliant artist and the absurdities of her life and time.

The film overreaches in casting Nina Simone as a standard-bearer against racism and sexism, but, at the same time, it's filled with mesmerizing clips from throughout her performing career as well as numerous interviews of the artist and those closest to her, both through audio and on film. Director Liz Garbus is not just satisfied with recounting a biography; instead she presents to us a very painful journey through the career and motives of an ambivalent woman whose anger always exploded on stage, usually leaving a lump in the audience's throat and rapture in its eyes. Nevertheless, this is an intimate examination of the tragic life of the High Priestess of Soul. It may not answer the burning question: "What Happened, Miss Simone?", but it does tell us why the question must be asked and will be asked for a very long time.

A Worthy Potrayal Of A Musical Genius

[minister_of_silly_walks · 10/10 · 29 September 2020]

A stunning documentary depicting the turbulent life of one of the most influential musicians of the past century, with skillful usage of archival audio and film footage as well as past and new interviews with all of the people who witnessed the life of the musical legend that is Nina Simone, whose battle for racial equality and justice is still relevant to contemporary America.

The Story Of Nina Simone

[StrictlyConfidential · 7/10 · 15 February 2021]

This 2-hour bio-documentary looks at the highs, as well as the lows, of the life and career of African-American soul/jazz singer and pianist, Nina Simone (1933-2003).

Through stills, archival footage and interviews - The spectator is given a well-rounded overview of what Nina Simone was all about.

The Director Has Surely Taken The Easy Way Out!

[investinagirl · 10/10 · 9 September 2017]

There should be a separation between the events happening in Simone's life with her illness. These are not the same thing and one thing does not determine the other. Simone may have had a difficulty coping with the racism, sexism and bigotry of the times, but that was not because of the illness. It was because of the hypocrisy of the times. Things and people make us depressed. It's not accurate to say Simone was unhappy because she was bipolar, that's letting her abusers and bigots off the hook. Simone was unhappy because during the times she was the one to blame for the beatings she took from her husband, for living in a time of racism where it was not even permitted to discuss trauma, for being turned down to go to a school because she was African-American; only to be acknowledged after her death for her political involvement with civil rights movement, which has always been considered taboo; for being poor, for living in fear of a lynching, for not being permitted to be a mother - just for living in fear. The daughter vilifies her mother's inability to cope with trauma and further perpetuates the stigma of an illness. It's as if one can just write her out of the movie all together and just say that people who suffer manic depression are inadequate. There are so many bigots and hypocrisies defining people based on their survival. They sit in judgement and blame the individual for trying to get by in an economy that saw black people as trash and leaches. It seems also that the director wants to say that Simone's career was too much for her because of her mental illness, running away and living on the streets undercover. We love that story! A woman can't take care of herself or pay the bills. Maybe she could escape avuse of she let her husband handle her career and make all the money. Even in her final moments, I don't think Simone has received any kind of redemption. She is not heard and is misunderstood. Everything she tried to accomplish in her life can be overshadowed by people's new use of the word bipolar, which informs a new generation that persecutes people with an illness in a different and acceptable way. Nina! I feel you! They're not listening! They can't hear you! They gave you the pills so you could just keep playing, without looking at the society that makes us sick. It's three strikes and you're out - African-American, woman, mental illness! Also, I can't imagine a place anywhere and in anytime that a woman like Simone was not spotted on the street and cared for. Was that the state of mind during the civil rights movement? No, it wasn't. You are telling me not one person, not a friend, family or fan came to take care of her. It seems as though you want to say that she disappeared because of mental illness. That's far from what an illness is. Simone was running from the beatings, from the lynchings. Manic depression is not new although the psychologists think by giving something a new name might make it fashionablel to get therapy again to make money. Manic-depression has been around quite a long time! Centuries! There has always been people who have it and those whom have been around to treat it. It didn't just happen in the last ten years! I'm sick of the big finale of bipolarism/mental illness as a reason for uncompromising behavior. Whatever happened to blaming God or the nearest scapegoat? What's trendy now is to blame the woman, African American, illness and poverty. Why even mention a mental illness? So those of us who suffer can say, well that's why we'll never be an important part of society! Or those of us who don't suffer as much can button it with, oh thank heavens she got help! Maybe a better ending might be triumphant? The husband is put in jail, finally justice served! The daughter forgiving her mother, which is what Simone deaerves. By the way, since we are airing out the dirty laundry, what about the husband? What was his mental illness diagnosis? He didn't have one. Times were different? He gets a pass? The daughter? Anyone with the correct information knows that it runs in the family. How about tieing things up with a prompting of intolerance? Or don't women, African-American and those suffering with mental illness deserve some tolerance? And don't think I didn't miss that you are quick to label an abused woman as bipolar, which is why I asked the question at the beginning. Isn't this what the movie was about? Creating more intolerance! That is why they smacked the mental illness label onto Nina and the ending of the movie: so we could all feel like we belong. We can feel we're all on the right side, but it suits as a mirror of our intolerance. It's just an easier explanation than and less taboo to just say she lost her fame because of bipolarism and easier to diagnose as she is a woman. Whatever, bravo to the director for an ignorant message! I loved seeing the original footage, but the director should be cremated! Nina you're not alone. You were never alone. We women are all still dieing silently - African-American, or pathetically diagnosed with a mental illness - for all our tries.

The Defamation of Nina Simone.

[lavendertraveler · 1/10 · 15 April 2019]

I was shocked by "What Happened, Miss Simone." I loved Nina when I was much younger, I saved up my pittance of an allowance to buy her long playing vinyl record albums. I'm not denying anything in the documentary, it probably all happened, but I think the program concentrated too much on the negative, not enough on what made Nina great in the first place. I don't think she got a fair shake from Netflix. She's long dead, she can't defend herself, she can't speak for herself. Sure, she was troubled. But she was also a major talent, I choose to remember the talent. This program came across like a black version of "Mommie Dearest," or "Let's get Nina." Her daughter, her husband, everyone trashed her memory. Her daughter has every right to speak her mind, tell her side of the story, of course. But like Christina Crawford, her memories are those a child, and children often resent adult decisions a parent has to make, compromises adults must make to navigate rough seas. Nina's voice reflected her suffering, her suffering as a woman in a man's world, as a black person in a white person's world. She never saw the light at the end of the tunnel. She was consumed by racism, and sexism. She seemed even to hate her fans, the basis of her support. The foundation of her financial security. Simone always felt like an outsider in her own country. So much so that she moved to the Republic of Liberia in West Africa, the nation founded by freed slaves from the United States, primarily from what were at one time the Confederate States of the deep south. Critics are lambasting a coming dramatization of Nina's life because her male love interest in the movie was actually gay, so how could he be the love of her life? Hey, it's a movie, not a documentary. Billy Dee Williams played Billie Holiday's love interest in Lady Sings The Blues, a completely fictional character, but a handsome male lead made the movie much more interesting, it made Lady Sings the Blues a love story. That's what Hollywood does best.

SMASHING GRITTY

[mcoles88 · 9/10 · 24 January 2019]

You know people goes through thing, but when a person just stops what they are doing and disappears, that's scary. The film explained is ALL. Excellent

Nice insight into Nina Simone

[gbill-74877 · 8/10 · 4 September 2020]

"As I got older, I started to look at her and I thought to myself, 'Wow, she's from another time!' But she was not at odds with the time. Time was at odds with her. I think when a person moves to their own kind of clock, spirit, flow .... if we were living in an environment that allowed us to be exactly who we are, you're always in congress with yourself. The challenge is, how do we fit in in the world that we're around? Are we allowed to be exactly who we are? Was Nina Simone allowed to be exactly who she was? As fragile as she was strong, as vulnerable as she was dynamic, she was African royalty. How does royalty stomp around in the mud and still walk with grace? Most people are afraid to be as honest as she lived." -- Ambassador Shabazz

A documentary that gives a fairly complete picture of Nina Simone's life, covering a fascinating woman who was a piano prodigy, brilliant musician, abused wife, civil rights activist, and someone who struggled with mental health issues. I love how it didn't shy away from her pretty radical political positions or the painful realities of her personal life, while at the same time, let us see her perform, showing her musical genius and stage presence. I felt real power in songs like "Mississippi Goddam," and felt Simone's place in the history of a struggle which persists to this day. I think she's appreciated, but at the same time, somewhat underrated, either because of her appearance or her outspoken views, and the film might help rectify this.

At the same time, I thought it fell a little short in not staying just a teeny bit longer on her triumphant music in the mid-1960's, e.g. from albums like "I Put a Spell on You" (1965), moving too quickly to her breakdown and withdrawal for my taste (and then spending too long there). To not play songs like "Take Care of Business" or "Break Down and Let It All Out" at all (naming just a couple), and to talk over most of "Love Me or Leave Me," but to show extended clips of her later (often awkward) performances instead I think did her a disservice. Maybe it needed to be longer, or have its focus tuned a bit. Also, I didn't like how her husband, a guy who often beat the hell out of her, was allowed so much time via an old interview clip. Overall I liked watching it though, and adore this artist.

Strong, Gifted and Black

[Lejink · 8/10 · 10 November 2022]

This was an informative and illuminating documentary on the life and career of the black American singer, writer, pianist and civil rights activist Nina Simone. I'd recently listened to a podcast about her as well as watching her inspired performance at the New York Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 which only recently saw the light of day as part of the award-winning documentary "Summer Of Soul". She had a reputation for being a sometimes moody performer and certainly as a testing interviewee for journalists but this video portrait of her showed instead a very human and humane person, as passionate in her life as in her live performances.

From humble beginnings, she soon discovered she had a talent for playing piano and was so good on the instrument that she was sent to the famed Juilliard Music Conservatoire in New York with the ambition to be the first black female concert pianist on the classical music circuit but failed to get her degree almost certainly due to the racism of the times.

So she turned to playing popular music in bars and encouraged to sing, soon became noticed. The combination of her distinctive appearance and presence, dexterity on the keyboard and unique singing voice saw her develop a formidable live reputation and soon she was making records, scoring popular success with tunes like "I Loves You Porgy" and "My Baby Just Cares For Me".

By this time she had also been married twice, her second husband a policeman who quit his day-job to manage her. Despite his periodic abuse of her, both having other partners and divorcing after ten years, both speak warmly of the other, as together they have a daughter, who is shown giving vivid testimony of growing up with her never-boring parents.

Simone's life and career will probably always be defined by her devotion to engage actively with the American Civil Rights movement of the time as we see her joining Martin Luther King on his marches, hooking up with the likes of Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael and most importantly write and sing openly controversial songs supporting the struggle, especially the song "Mississippi Goddam!" No passive resistance from this lady, who once told King that she wasn't a supporter of his advocated non-violent struggle for racial equality.

My main criticism of this film would be its focus on her time in the 60's with the period from the 70's through to her death in 2003 barely touched upon. Strange too, not to hear anywhere on the soundtrack her brilliant version of "Feeling Good". Nevertheless, with a wealth of compelling interview and live performance archive of the artist herself, candid interviews with her manager-ex-husband, daughter and the usual coterie of critics, commentators and contemporaries, striking photographic imagery and perhaps most of all, access to her own handwritten diaries, a clear picture emerges of a prodigiously talented, driven artist who against the odds, carved out a significant personal, political and musical legacy

Difficult to love but impossible to ignore, I hope this well-crafted if somewhat selective film biography brings her personal and musical achievements to a wider audience even today, almost twenty years after she passed.