‘Jackie’ movie review

“People like to believe in fairytales,” articulates Natalie Portman in the title role of ‘Jackie.’  It is a brilliant performance that she completely inhabits.  There have been several films dealing with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy but never told from the point of view of the iconic first lady.  Working from a script by Noah Oppenheim (The Maze Runner), Chilean director Pablo Larrain (No) has created a film that goes beyond a conventional biopic to capture one of the most horrible days in American history.  With the help of Stephane Fontaine’s commanding cinematography and Mica Levi’s haunting score, Larrain’s ‘Jackie’ is an artfully crafted piece of storytelling that vividly defines the woman and the myth.

The film opens with violin sounds that feel like shards of glass.  We see a close-up of Jackie Kennedy dressed in a Chanel suit.  The scene is unnerving as we see her sobbing and notice blood splattered on her pink outfit.  This is a woman that is forced to go through unspeakable grief in front of an entire nation.  The film’s structure centers around an interview she gave to Life magazine journalist Theodore H. White (Billy Crudup) just eight days after the assassination.  It is during her exchanges with the reporter that she firmly establishes the Camelot myth.  After she graphically recalls the shooting, she looks at the reporter and says, “Don’t think for a second that I’m going to let you publish that.”  As she takes a drag from a cigarette, she continues “I don’t smoke.”

The voyeuristic quality of the film is intoxicating.  Larrain purposefully executes close-up shots to reel us into her perspective.  We get to see her back at the White House alone in the master bedroom.  She takes off the bloodstained Chanel suit and pantyhose.  It’s the behind-the-scenes moments that capture the magnitude of her trauma.  She is in a state of shock but has little time to mourn in seclusion.  Occasionally it feels like a horror movie.  Her brother-in-law Robert (Peter Sarsgaard) tries to console her but time keeps slipping away.  She must watch in silence as Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as president.  She must tell her two children that their father is not coming home from Dallas.  She must organize her husband’s funeral arrangements that will establish his legacy.  She will allow nothing to tarnish the Camelot myth.

Portman carries this film and she is superb.  Her screen presence is so meticulous and controlled.  It’s like watching a privileged debutant’s life disappear before our eyes.  Everything from the soft-spoken New England dialect to the way that she enters a room is perfectly orchestrated.  It’s a fascinating and layered portrayal that shifts from grief to despair to maternal protectiveness for her children as well as for the nation.  There is a telling scene when she plays the song “Camelot” sung by Richard Burton on a phonograph.  Portman beautifully depicts Jackie trying on evening gowns, sipping alcohol and taking sedatives while chain smoking in the White House.  It is a brief moment where she gets to mourn her loss in solitude.  Her only trustworthy friend is Nancy Tuckerman (Greta Gerwig) serving as social secretary during the Kennedy administration.

This is Portman’s most memorable performance since her Best Actress Oscar win for 2011’s ‘Black Swan.’   She is a tour de force that catapults this biopic into a major Oscar contender.  It not only deals with her grief but her conflicted sense of identity.  Make no mistake about it.  She is in control of what will and what will not be remembered in history.  The flashbacks during her iconic White House tour are powerful and impressionistic.  She proudly shows her role in preserving the art and décor in “The People’s House.”

Larrain allows us to experience the trauma alongside the first lady in the motorcade.  It is graphically shocking.  When Jackie privately talks with a Catholic priest (John Hurt), she confesses her difficulties reconciling her problems in the marriage.  He reminds her that although she may never get all the answers, she is the chosen one during this important moment in time. As Richard Burton sings, “one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot,” thanks to Jackie the Kennedy legacy will endure.  ‘Jackie’ is one of the best films of the year and Portman’s mesmerizing performance should not be missed.

 

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