Jackie (2016)

Review

100min

Genre:       Fact-based, Drama

Director:    Pablo Larraín

Cast:         Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Crudup…and more

Writer:      Noah Oppenheim

-Synopsis-

Natalie Portman stars as former American first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the aftermath of the JFK assassination, struggling to keep her family together while protecting the legacy of her late husband in this biographical drama and cinematic character portrait from acclaimed Chilean director Pablo Larraín.

In his first film not set in Chile and in the English language, Larraín turns his unique eye for the historically grounded period piece to the United States of the turbulent 60s, once again showing his talent for deconstructing complex characters and exploring enigmatic personas, only this time upping the scale to one of the most recognisable cultural figures of the 20th century… with a great deal of help from a career-defining performance from Natalie Portman.

Structured around a rare and personal press interview with the former first lady after her departure from the White House, and flashing back-and-forth between her experience in the aftermath of her husband’s assassination and some happier days during his presidency; Portman stars as the iconic Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy in the darkest days of an often troubled life, as a loyal member of a powerful family which became synonymous with privilege and tragedy, struggling to balance grief with her duty to family and her husband’s memory, while maintaining her legendary poise and grace.

‘Jackie’ centres around the former first lady’s emotional struggle in the immediate aftermath of her husband’s sudden and tragic death, but also her determination to user her charms and play the Washington game to secure JFK’s legacy, before the often unkind hands of history and popular perception defined it for her. And the film presents a characterisation of Jacqueline Kennedy that differs from the common perception of her as a demure debutante, instead offering a more complex character who evolved through her experiences, but still had that side to her.

Portman’s performance is truly exceptional, and more impressive albeit less physical than the one which won her an Oscar for ‘Black Swan’. Not having much of a resemblance to her character apart from a petite frame, Portman relies on top notch makeup & hair and costume design to achieve the recognisable looks, as do all of the cast, but manages to nail Kennedy’s soft-spoken tones and distinct Mid-Atlantic drawl.

However this isn’t an impersonation or a caricature of a popular icon but rather a dramatised portrait which steers clear of traditional biopic form, with Portman doing as much as could be expected to capture the outward persona of a woman from a different era, with impeccable upbringing and great poise. But ‘Jackie’ tries to go more than skin deep with a hypothetical ‘behind-the-scenes’ proposition, striving to capture the essence of a woman who could be outwardly demure and proper, but also cunning and show a steely determination when it came to her husband and family… which carried on through her transformation into Jackie Onassis.

‘Jackie’ isn’t exactly a completely enthralling character drama, thanks largely to a slow and deliberate pace and its unconventional non-linear structure which may be an issue for some audiences, and there’s certainly more than enough for historians and commentators to pick apart in terms of a historically grounded drama. Clearly Larraín and screenwriter Noah Oppenheim come into this project with a reverence for the Kennedy administration and the man himself, as many would. There’s no intention here to really address the salacious parts of the man’s private life or the controversies surrounding the family, as many a film and TV show have done before, instead presenting a view of JFK’s time in office as almost mythical and romantic, for both the family and the country… hence the focus on Jackie’s ‘Camelot’ reference.

However ‘Jackie’ isn’t really about any of that, but rather a rare female-centric character piece which fits into Hollywood’s more recent trend of cinematic female empowerment, telling historical stories of the women behind the power and the legends. Pablo Larraín has crafted a fascinating drama within an even more interesting context, expertly telling a story of power, persona and legacy and the human beings behind it all, thanks largely to a central performance which deserves all of the nominations and award buzz it has recently garnered.

Whatever your take on the JFK story and your opinion of the man himself, this is essentially a human drama which tries to tell a relatable story in a context which is almost impossible for most people to relate to, about a devoted wife trying to safeguard the memory of her husband, for both herself and the world. For all his personal flaws, which probably made him more human than his position might allow, in under three years John F. Kennedy managed to not only pull the West back from the brink of armed conflict with the Soviet Union and perhaps nuclear warfare at the height of the cold war, but also dared to fundamentally challenge and change the status quo in American society and its politics…  paying the ultimate price for it.

The Bottom Line…

A sombre and self-contained human drama with a far wider resonance, set in an extraordinary context, ‘Jackie’ brings a fresh if skewed perspective on an enigmatic global icon and a defining moment in recent history. Pablo Larraín leans on impeccable production design and an unsettlingly melancholic score for his story of loss, legacy and public persona, but relies most of all on a Natalie Portman masterclass to paint this unique and captivating cinematic portrait of a popular enigma and cultural icon.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

JFK (1991)

When New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison begins to uncover evidence which puts the official account of the John F. Kennedy assassination in doubt, he begins to pull on an investigatory thread which unravels a conspiracy that goes to the top of Washington’s corridors of power in Oliver Stone’s engrossing and provocative eye-opening drama.

Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman and Joe Pesci among others.

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