4 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Whitney Houston Before Watching Whitney: Can I Be Me?

If you don’t have plans this weekend, I have a suggestion. Grab some popcorn and some tissues and check out a new documentary coming to Showtime on Saturday, August 26. Whitney: Can I Be Me? was directed by Nick Broomfield and Rudi Dolezal and features footage of the late singer that Dolezal shot over a 10-year period while working with Houston. Beyond the never before seen footage, the film tells a story about what it was really like to be one of the most talented singers of an entire generation. The short answer is that it wasn’t great.

One of the quotes from the film’s trailer is “Whitney Houston died of a broken heart.” It’s a particularly powerful euphemism to describe the host of things that she endured offstage. Whitney: Can I Be Me? Is more True Life than a Making the Video. It’s the kind of project that makes you question the pitfalls of fame for some of your favorites.

I saw the film when it debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and learned several things about the late singer that I didn’t know growing up. These facts stood out for their profundity.