Cert 15 105mins Stars 4

Drugs, booze and sexual jealousy feature heavily in the tragic life of 1990’s music superstar Whitney Houston, compassionately explored in this fascinating documentary.

The first black solo female artist to achieve global mainstream pop success, Houston was famous at 19 and dead at 48 from a drug overdose.

Having lived her adult life in the media gaze, there’s little new information here. But in a triumph of research, editing and storytelling, we see her story from a new perspective.

With her close family coming from a gospel music background, it’s suggested the church’s stance is complicit in her fall from grace.

A crowded marriage to Bobby Brown was made worse by the pressures of fame. It’s made clear Houston’s substance abuse began long before entering a destructive co-dependent relationship with the bad boy singer.

Of all her entourage, Houston’s bodyguard is the most clear eyed observer, but unlike in her smash film The Bodyguard, he was unable to save the star.