A must-watch for anyone—whether you know the story or not.
Shedding a new light on one of the most iconic American love affairs of all time, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla is a must-watch for fans of feminist cinema, general movie-goers, and everyone in between. I watched Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis in the theater upon its release in 2022, and Priscilla is its antithesis. A film drowning in spectacle, Elvis portrays Priscilla Presley in a smaller way than it should’ve—it largely ignored the downfall of the couple’s marriage and failed to present Priscilla as more than a mere plot device.
With that being said, Priscilla fills in the gaps that Elvis left behind—and more. Chronicling the rocky love story between these two pop culture icons, Coppola manages to convey how haunting this relationship really was with grace and clarity. Every element of this film was meticulously planned to perfectly convey the message that Priscilla Presley wrote in her memoir, Elvis and Me. She was picked up by an international sensation when she was 14 and never got to fully live her childhood or teenage years in the way she deserved.
The film runs for roughly an hour before Cailee Spaeny’s Priscilla graduates high school, with much of the dynamics of this love affair already being shown during that time. This observation is bone-chilling as it puts the true nature of this relationship into perspective. It is clear that Jacob Elordi’s Elvis views her as nothing more than a trophy—a piece of home in a time where things are ever-growingly extravagant. He does not see her as a person, and certainly not a girl or a woman, but as a thing to control. An object of his desires.
The performances of these two lead actors complement each other and ground this film. I would guess that a third, or even half, of this film, is comprised of stationary shots in a bed. You wouldn’t even be able to tell because the performances by these actors are so enthralling. Elordi portrays Elvis in such a way that he is so deep in his own delusion and stardom that he fails to acknowledge the moral implications of his own actions. His character has taken a girl from her youth, changed all of her looks, and silenced her.
Spaeny’s ability to play youth so well makes the film all the more heartbreaking. After Elvis gives Priscilla new clothes to wear and dyes her hair, it doesn’t feel like she’s a woman—it feels like she’s playing dress up. Priscilla’s shift into womanhood through the course of the film is demonstrated by Spaeny’s amazing portrayal and ability to project her voice and change her body language.
Fashion plays a huge role in this film and almost feels like a character in its own right. It’s incredibly intertwined with Spaeny’s performance. As Priscilla becomes more independent, she stops dyeing her hair black and begins to wear clothes that she likes. She begins to wear jeans rather than skirts, and patterns rather than solids—both of which Elvis doesn’t like. Spaeny’s Priscilla is almost unrecognizable by the end of the film, in both a fashion and performance sense, as we see her truly happy for the first time.
Sofia Coppola clearly knows what she’s doing when it comes to the feminine memoir. This film is heartbreaking, and enthralling, and is enough to make you cry. It’s an emotional rollercoaster of events that truly happened, from the side of Priscilla, the one who lived them. Nothing is glossed over in this film, nor should it have been from the start.
Priscilla is in theaters everywhere beginning November 3rd, 2023.