Priscilla: Film Review
If you saw Baz Luhrmann‘s Elvis in 2022, I highly recommend checking out Sofia Coppola‘s Priscilla, which depicts his wife’s perspective on their love story and works well as an unofficial companion piece.
The film charts the ups and downs of Elvis (Jacob Elordi) and Priscilla’s (Cailee Spaeny) tumultuous relationship, from their meeting in Germany when she was 14 (he was 24) to her decision to leave their marriage aged 27.
Priscilla, based on Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me, doesn’t cast the King of Rock and Roll in a particularly flattering light. From the outside, everyone assumed Priscilla lived a charmed life as Elvis’ wife but she was actually very lonely in her gilded cage. And when Elvis was there in Graceland, he was often emotionally – and sometimes physically – abusive. He was in control of everything – her appearance, when they saw each other and when they had sex, etc. Priscilla wasn’t allowed a life of her own and her purpose was to be there for Elvis as and when he wanted her.
Over the course of the film, Priscilla discovers who she is and how she wants to be treated and slowly realises control and freedom are more important than being with the music legend. The film charts her growth as she develops her own sense of agency.
Coppola is so good at giving viewers a window into a young girl’s soul. She understood Priscilla so well and I came away from the film feeling like I got her. It’s also remarkable what Coppola achieved visually given the film’s budget – the production design, hair, make-up and costumes are amazing and you would never know they filmed it in Canada in 30 days.
I was so impressed by Spaeny’s performance and I’m shocked she hasn’t been nominated for more awards (but at least she won Best Actress in Venice). She plays Priscilla from 14 to 27 and that evolution is astounding. The changes to her hair and make-up do a lot of the work but there are subtle differences in Spaeny’s performance to reflect her age – the way she holds herself, how much she smiles, the tone of her voice etc. Priscilla rarely says what she thinks but Spaeny is so expressive and the camera is up her face so you know exactly what she’s thinking.
I’ve seen a lot of praise for Elordi but he didn’t work for me. He didn’t look like Elvis, the accent was inconsistent and I was never convinced he was the singer. It felt close to a caricature at the end thanks to the OTT hair, make-up and clothes. He was one of the only elements that didn’t feel exactly right.
I never knew Priscilla’s side of the story, so I found this movie eye-opening. It really makes you reconsider what you know of Elvis and I can’t imagine his fans will be too impressed!
In cinemas from Monday 1st January