“What Happened, Miss Simone?” is an original Netflix documentary about Nina Simone, nicknamed The High Priestess of Soul. The documentary details the highs and the lows of the classical pianist, turned night club singer, turned civil rights activist. The film is composed of archived film clips of Simone in concert, Simone behind the scenes, commentary of those who knew her well, and clips from historical moments of her time.
An interesting aspect of Simone’s life was her shift from celebrity to civil rights activist. She found her cause and she stuck with it despite backlash from her manager and promoters. The film also sheds light on racial issues that are still present today. The documentary is so real and nothing was held back. Audiences learn that Simone’s life wasn’t all light, but it had a darkness too. Most people don’t want anyone knowing the dark secrets of their life but Simone wasn’t afraid to admit that her life was far from perfect. The only thing I didn’t like was that it started off a bit slowly, which is understandable since you need to know her life before the fame to fully understand and connect. As far as documentaries go this was a good one. The film has also been nominated for an Academy Award.
