Janis: Little Girl Blue, film review: Tale of a rock star cut down in her prime

(15) Amy J Berg, 107 mins

Rebellious, but vulnerable: Janis Joplin in ‘Janis: Little Girl Blue’

Amy J Berg's portrait of Janis Joplin is moving and well researched – a cautionary tale of a rock star cut down in her prime. The film combines archive material, concert footage, contemporary interviews and readings from Joplin's letters in a fluid fashion.

Like Asif Kapadia's Amy, it is also a sad story. Joplin, like Winehouse, died aged 27. Her emergence as a singer was unlikely. She came from a conservative family.

There are stories of the torments she endured growing up in Texas and at college, where she was voted "ugliest man on campus".

Joplin was rebellious, but vulnerable. Berg shows how much Joplin borrowed from Otis Redding, but what she can't explain is how Joplin learned to sing with such raw strength.