Jackie
Starring: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Crudup, Greta Gerwig
Directed by: Pablo Larraín
Rated: R
As the opening notes swell in Jackie, Mica Levi's musical score is unsettling, ominous, and dark. It matches that of a horror film, not your typical biographical drama. Yet, it's a fitting choice as the audience realizes we are watching Jackie Kennedy live out the most horrifying days of her life.
After John F. Kennedy's assassination, Jackie (Natalie Portman) tries to build his legacy so he will be remembered throughout history. While she tries to memorialize her husband as a historical figure, she works through the devastation of his loss.
Jackie is an affecting and hypnotic biographical drama. Director Pablo Larraín has created a deeply personal look at the former First Lady's life. The film is built on the blocks of humanity, legacy and loss as Jackie deals with her husband's death. Lorraín blends American history with inherently personal moments throughout Jackie. Many scenes feel like we are watching a documentary. These including Jackie wandering the empty White House halls in blood stained clothing, a moment lit by a sunset sky as she holds her children close, and one particularly chilling sight as Bobby and John Kennedy Jr. disappear behind JFK's coffin to subtly echo the legacy of a family shrouded in tragedy.
Natalie Portman is at her best since Black Swan. Adopting the same vocal inflection and mannerisms as the former First Lady, she commands the screen as Jackie. The entire film rests on Portman's shoulders, as she is the focus of every scene. Jackie is portrayed as larger than life-an icon that the people look to. What is she thinking? Wearing? Feeling in this time of intense grief? The American people have to know. How can she be what the American people want while dealing with such a devastating loss? Jackie tackles the First Lady's image vs. her personal life. Natalie Portman is well on her way to another Oscar nomination.
As Jackie conducts an interview with a journalist, she tells him, "People like to believe in fairytales. I believe the characters we read about on the page end up being more real than the men who stand beside us." The quote is fitting; as the First Lady's status is so iconic she is almost separate from reality. Jackie challenges that notion. The film shows the audience Jackie's humanity in many of its forms: grief, anger, shock, and despair.
Jackie is a psychologically tense biographical drama that glances into the life of a legend. Its lead performance, artistic direction, and haunting themes will keep you fascinated long after you leave the theater.
My Rating: 10/10