Jackie: Review

Jackie is directed Pablo Larraín and stars Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Kennedy who we see post the assassination of her husband President John F. Kennedy, as she struggles to cope after these traumatic times, we see her over the course of weeks as she regains hope that of which she has lost. 

As the subject matter is fitting due to the newly elected president of the United States, Jackie was a chance for us to look back decades down the line of presidential history and visit the untold story of how First Lady Jackie Kennedy coped though the toughest of times. This was my first experience watching a film shot in 16mm camera and It honestly was quite the experience. One thing we can take from modern cinema is that bio-pics, when done in the right way, can be astonishing just like past works such as Deepwater Horizon, The Kings Speech and The Theory of Everything. It is safe to say that Jackie is a quick and easy choice to make in terms of adding to the archives of biographical dramas. Dark, Chilling and Suspenseful, Jackie feels like an authentic relic that has been hidden away for years but has finally been rediscovered by modern day audiences. A film that could quite easily of been self indulgent as it oozes style and finesse, turned out to presented itself in a rather elegantly natural fashion rather than boasting of it's impressive cinematography. However the cinematography is strikingly one of the best parts to this film, it melts into the screen as the radiant colours of Jackie's outfits contrast between the intensely murky grave yard and the clear walls of the White House. Every scene has a noticeable purpose for being shot that certain way and the new 60's technicolour felt just what the film needed. 

Whilst the film is about Jackie following the death of John F. Kennedy; not once does it take focus off what it's truly about which is of course Jackie. Although the film revolves around said event, it is truly about the mental struggle of Jackie and we are never shown otherwise, it is her and only her throughout. This is clearly helped by the stunning performance of Portman, she caries the entire film alone, although it has other characters, everything is about Jackie and the reason this film was certainly not as slow as it could have been was due to Portman's beautiful performance which should definitely be acknowledged for an Oscar nomination, quite possibly an Oscar win. Not only the camera work or the fantastic acting but the score was absolutely breathtaking. Although at times the loud musical accompaniment of eerie violins feels a tad out of place in the odd scene, the majority of scenes in which it is used are perfectly unsettling allowing the film to take a more dark and sinister turn whilst adding to the films more climatic moments. The film has a predominantly marvellous script, every line spoken in the film had such meaning and is ever so simply clever, it feels more professional knowing that the subject matter is so mature and it has a healthy script to fall back on to. 

In the end Jackie is an unsettling, suspenseful, look into the mind of a broken woman as she is put under the spotlight. Stunningly acted and chillingly shot. Jackie is an authentic treasure that adds to the list of biographical dramas. Just like La La Land, Jackie is quite possibly another one of the best films I have ever seen due to it's strong female lead that carries a film with such style and purpose, offering us stuff of which we haven't seen explored yet in the genre. 

I am going to give Jackie:

9.3/10