November 6, 2023 · Watch the trailer
When you’re in a relationship with a larger-than-life figure, it’s easy to be lost in the shadows, to become an accessory or a small footnote in a much bigger story.
The power of celebrity really has a way of minimalizing, or almost infantilizing, the significant others of pop culture icons and diminishing their experiences.
Writer/director Sofia Coppola takes a beautiful, intimate look at one of the most famous of these “lost” significant others with her latest drama, “Priscilla,” based on the 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me” by Priscilla Presley.
The film, which debuted at the Venice International Film Festival this year, is an intoxicating, yet startling and revealing portrait of a young girl growing up in the face of stardom and overwhelmed by a confusing, yet charismatic personality.
“Priscilla” follows the 14-year-old title character as she meets the rock and roll icon while he is stationed with the U.S. Army in West Germany and their peculiar friendship turned blossoming romance and eventual marriage is wonderfully chronicled from her perspective with Elvis as a sort of ghostly figure constantly just out of reach.
While many filmgoers will focus on the revealing, yet somewhat bizarre portrayal of a rock icon, what really makes “Priscilla” a standout film is the captivating central performance from Cailee Spaeny as the titular Priscilla, spanning more than a decade of her life from wishful ingenue through confused love interest to a new wife and mother trying to stand up for herself within a largely one-sided relationship.
Spaeny is demure when she needs to be and never really explodes in the way that some dramas might have her, but Coppola and Spaeny work magically together to create a devastatingly internal, nuanced performance that reflects a lot of hope, wonder and sadness all at one time.
The uneven, imbalanced chemistry between Spaeny and “Euphoria” star Jacob Elordi as Elvis feels more intentional than anything else and is often masterfully reflected in the cinematography with Elordi using his significant height advantage to effectively have Elvis tower over Priscilla, creating a strange almost domineering presence that forces Spaeny’s Priscilla to shrink and internalize her feeling at the unspoken behest of a physical and charismatic superior.
Elordi has a difficult task as Elvis, especially when Austin Butler delivered such a magnetic performance last year playing the same character in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.”
It’s a terrific turn from the young actor that constantly walks the tightrope between innocent affection and something more unusual that makes Elvis come across somewhat predatorial or at best, a manipulative narcissist.
The film plays out as a two-hander and though audiences never get moments with Elvis alone as the entire movie is played out from Priscilla’s perspective, Elordi is able to develop a complex character that is sure to polarize viewers.
As with all of Coppola’s films, the production design of “Priscilla” is immaculate and has a distinctive, stoic 1960s time capsule look to it, both in its set dressing and hazy cinematography that gives the entire film a memory like a vintage record. While the soundtrack plays far less of Elvis’s music than one might expect, song selection is pitch perfect here especially in the film’s final moments with a surprising, yet poignant choice that truly encapsulates the complexity of Priscilla and Elvis’s relationship.
“Priscilla” is likely to be a fringe Oscar contender with its best chances rallying behind Spaeny’s win for Best Actress in Venice launching a campaign in the same category, although it could also be in line for noms in several technical categories especially production design and costuming.
Though it may make some ardent Elvis fans grimace at his strange depiction, Coppola’s unique and nuanced look at the woman behind one of the most iconic figures in American music history with a magnificent leading turn by Spaeny makes “Priscilla” a must see this awards season.
Leave a Reply