Priscilla (15)

Dir: Sofia Coppola

Cast: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi

Cailee Spaeny shines as the wide-eyed, titular star in Sofia Coppola’s tender look at the toxic yet co-dependent relationship between Priscilla and Elvis Presley

Sofia Coppola’s adaptation of Priscilla Presley‘s 1985 autobiography entitled, Elvis and Me, will make uncomfortable viewing for the die hard Elvis fans out there. The biopic, is a far cry from the glitz and glam of Baz Luhrmann‘s candy coated epic Elvis which hit cinemas last year, with the focus on the King shifting from that of the victim, to that of the aggressor. The screen drained of bright colours, ‘Priscilla’ is a captivatingly dour affair, a stark contrast to the exuberance of last year’s film.

I was not the biggest fan of ‘Elvis‘ when I watched it last year, but despite my reservations I could not help feel sympathy towards Austin Butler‘s legendary rock-n-roll star. For all his talent and charisma, it could not prevent him from falling victim to financial and social restraint at the hands of the ‘villainous’ Colonel Tom Parker. Coppola smartly switches focus here, with the majority of Elvis’ career left completely absent from the film and Parker himself completely removed. This allows us to see a side to Elvis off stage and away from his stir crazy fans, a side that Priscilla knew all too well.

We are first introduced to a 14-year old Priscilla, convincingly portrayed by Cailee Spaeny who is eleven years older, as she is residing with her family at a U.S. Military Base in Germany. It is here where Priscilla meets the already well-renowned Elvis (Jacob Elordi), who was drafted into the military at the peak of his fame. Elvis takes an immediate interest in Priscilla and the two begin a courtship despite her parents’ concerns over their ten year age gap. After his service, Elvis returns home to the United States and the couple lose contact, leaving a lovestruck Priscilla heartbroken.

A couple years later, Elvis reaches out and offers Priscilla the opportunity to move into his home at Graceland and attend a local Catholic School so she can graduate. While her time with her husband is pleasant, these moments are few and far between as Elvis is constantly away from Graceland filming the numerous musical comedies he released in the sixties. An isolated Priscilla becomes paranoid of highly publicised rumours in the press surrounding Elvis’ alleged infidelities, which coupled with their fleeting time together, starts to see their relationship crumble.

‘Priscilla’ is the latest of several female led films by Sofia Coppola that focus on isolation and compartmentalisation. Her first three cinematic releases: The Virgin Suicides (1999), Lost in Translation (2003) and Marie Antoinette (2006) all focus on young women who are almost forced into solitude against their will by those who ‘control’ them. In ‘The Virgin Suicides’ , the teenage Lisbon girls are forbidden from leaving their home and socialising with others by their strictly religious parents; ‘Lost in Translation’ sees a young wife (Scarlett Johansson) forced to spend her days in a Tokyo Hotel whilst her photographer husband works and fraternises with his models; and ‘Marie Antoinette’ sees the titular Queen of France spend most of her time in vast chateaus and palaces, resulting in her rebellious nature.

‘Priscilla’ is almost amalgamation of the three films, as we witness the once wide-eyed Priscilla Presley’s mental state worsen, as she spends her time in a vast but desolate Graceland, whilst her husband is out enjoying his life. His charm and wealth seem to pave over the cracks but several acts of abuse on top of his drug abuse ultimately become to much for her.

Like the aforementioned films, ‘Marie Antoinette’ in particular, ‘Coppola’s latest release purely focuses on its female lead. Despite the celebrity-factor that comes with Elvis appearing on screen, he is mostly side-lined to the shadows or the edge of frame, whilst Priscilla illuminates centre stage. This is also accomplished thanks to the two stellar lead performances: Jacob Elordi as Elvis, in a breakout year following an excellent turn in Saltburn; and Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla herself. Elordi has all the natural charm and swagger to play Elvis, and his performance is refreshingly reserved to allow Spaeny to shine in the title role, something she manages with aplomb. It is a daunting task to embody a real life persona on the big screen, and Spaeny – in her first major lead role – rises to the challenge. The 25-year-old effortlessly adapts throughout the key stages in Priscilla’s early life, from a crestfallen, starry-eyed adolescent to a mature and assertive woman, who has been gradually worn down by the toxic and co-dependent relationship with her showbiz husband.

For everything the film does right, my one gripe is that the final few scenes seemed rather rushed. The fate that awaits Priscilla and Elvis is well documented and is indicated from the moment Priscilla moves into Graceland, but the ending arrives far too abruptly, leaving me slightly unfulfilled. For the first three-quarters of its 110-minute runtime though, I could see ‘Priscilla’ being one of my favourites of the year, thanks to Coppola’s direction, the lead performances and some stellar costume and makeup work that truly showcase the era as well as the good and bad of the celebrity lifestyle.

Priscilla will be showing in UK Cinemas from Monday 1st January