The Doctor’s Diagnosis: C+
I must regrettably admit that Priscilla is the first Sofia Coppola movie that I’ve watched. If I had press credentials, I would fear that they would be revoked over that admission. After viewing this movie, I’m still not sure what to make of her as a filmmaker. While Priscilla is a well-made and beautifully-performed film, it feels choppy and uninsightful about its subject matter. For a biographical film, that latter point is a major problem.
Priscilla is presented as being the story of Priscilla Presley, but it is really the story of Priscilla’s relationship with Elvis and I think that’s an important distinction. The film begins with 14-year old Priscilla being introduced to Elvis while both of them are in Germany during the war and the film doesn’t skirt around the creepiness of this situation. The first time that we are introduced to Priscilla, she is wearing a schoolgirl outfit and the approach of Elvis’ friend to arrange their initial meeting is extremely uncomfortable to watch. The film never outright portrays Elvis as a predator, but the imagery and build-up to their initial meeting doesn’t pull punches in presenting the inappropriateness of the situation.
From here, we get much of Elvis courting Priscilla, her efforts to finish high school before getting married, and then the erosion of their relationship as she feels increasingly isolated and his addictions begin to escalate. My main issue with the film is the lack of balance in presenting events from Priscilla’s life and the complete emphasis on her relationship with Elvis. Much of the running time is spent on events leading up to their marriage, leaving the post-wedding events to feel extremely rushed in comparison. In fact, the film is so focused on their relationship that it just simply ends when she leaves him. I had no idea that this movie was even close to being finished when it suddenly cut to the end credits and I looked around the theater with a look of “that’s really it?” on my face. Priscilla’s life did continue long after Elvis and I expected some time to be spent with those years, particularly her time as an actress.
Priscilla would make for an interesting double-feature with the Elvis film from last year. That seems obvious enough that it doesn’t need to be said, but the two films don’t just share subject matter; they are composed in such a way that they almost seem intentionally designed as companion pieces. Elvis was so focused on his career and relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, that one could easily forget that Priscilla was in the film at all. Priscilla is, in a sense, the other half of the story. Elvis is frequently leaving Priscilla home while he tours and films movies and the film often shows Elvis on the phone with Tom Parker, presenting Parker as this major, unseen force in their lives that is driving Elvis (and their relationship) toward destruction. It would be fascinating if someone tried to cut the two movies together into one narrative with Priscilla covering the personal lives and Elvis covering the professional rise and fall. Considering the shared subject matter between the movies, its notable that the only two events shown in both films are the first and final meetings between Elvis and Priscilla.
Despite these issues, the film is worth watching for the performances alone. I wasn’t familiar with Cailee Spaeny, but her performance as Priscilla is fantastic. The first thing that I did after watching the movie is look up her age because it is uncanny how she adapts to playing Priscilla at different ages. I knew going into the film that she must be at least 18 because of the subject matter (she’s 25), but she is remarkably believable as both a 14-year old and a 22-year old to the point that I briefly thought that the actress changed at one point. Spaeny manages to portray sadness and confusion through the lens of both a child and a young adult in a way that’s truly transformative. If it was for Lily Gladstone’s work in Killers of the Flower Moon, I think she would have a strong shot at the Oscar.
Jacob Elordi is also fantastic as Elvis, which is impressive just from an accent standpoint considering that he is Australian. The portrayal of Elvis here is complex; he isn’t particularly bright and he is a borderline abusive pedophile, but Elordi also manages to bring a tragic quality to him that, in light of the film’s events, he doesn’t particularly deserve. The film isn’t overly judgmental of Elvis, which is an interesting choice, but it certainly doesn’t show him in a glowing light either. Considering that Priscilla and Elvis are really the only two characters in the film, Priscilla hinges completely on these performances and, on that level, it succeeds. I just wish the script lived up to the performances.
I went into Priscilla only knowing that she was Elvis’ wife and that she later starred in the Naked Gun movies and an episode of Tales from the Crypt. I left the movie having gained no additional knowledge of her and the film didn’t even mention her acting career. The performances are great, but the unbalanced presentation of her life left me underwhelmed and waiting for a third act that never came.
Image by: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priscilla_(film)#/media/File:Priscilla_poster.jpeg
