REVIEW: Jackie

So many times a Hollywood, Oscar-baiting biopic can be drivel.  There are so many tropes and times that overly manipulative music can play, diminishing the content to something that we have seen a thousand times over.  Luckily, Jackie is not one of those types of movies.  It strays from format and is far from your typical, straightforward biopic.

You may think that the movie would focus a great deal on the fate of the infamous motorcade incident, but it doesn't.  There is only a quick shot at one point of JFK getting shot in the head.  There is no attempt to sensationalize the incident and use its popular narrative to drive the story.  Instead, the movie is about the moments and week after the incident, following Jackie Kennedy as she wades through the different emotions that would wreck havoc on a recent widow who is thrown from a place of power to becoming just an average person.

The backbone to the movie is the stunning performance delivered by Natalie Portman, who plays Jackie.  Words cannot describe the depth of emotion that she is able to bring to the character, from having to wipe her husbands blood off her face shortly after the incident, to realizing that she is getting kicked out of the White House and will have to find a place to live.

I could never imagine the horror of seeing my wife killed in front of my eyes, and I could only guess at the disconnect from reality that would happen in the minutes and days afterwards.  Through Portman's performance, and a solid script from Noah Oppenheim, we are witness to the loss that is felt, as well as the fact that there needs to be some strength shown from the woman who instantly became a former first lady.

Director Pablo Larrain uses the camera well to dictate what the audience feels and to surround us with the hopelessness that Jackie Kennedy faces.  There are many shots that follow her around, from either the front or behind, as she wanders around the White House.  This hit home for me, as personal tragedy had me in a spot where I felt like I was just wandering in circles, not knowing what to do with myself.  The production elements that are on display in Jackie captures that feeling incredibly well, making sure the audience is transported into the heart and soul of the grieving main character.

Accompanying all of the solid acting and wonderful camera shots is an atypical score by Mica Levi.  It uses mostly string instruments, and is far from flowing and melodic.  It is sporadic almost in its tones and notes, jolting to go along with the emotional upheaval that the film portrays.  The music sets the tone early in the film, and cascades along with it throughout, never feeling out of place with what we are seeing on the screen.  There is a very good reason why it was nominated for an Oscar.

One thing that I really liked about Jackie was it's powerful use of profanity.  Only two times is the f-word used, but it is impeccably placed and adds a dynamic punch to the proceedings on screen.  Too often it is a through away word that does not seek its rightful home, but in Jackie it is used to perfection.  I know that this seems to be a small thing to be praising, but it really is a powerful tool in this film.

I should also take a moment to talk about the supporting performances in this film.  Peter Sarsgaard plays the role of Bobby Kennedy, something that is no small task.  As well as having to deal with the assassination of JFK, he still has a vital role to play in politics.  He is a man divided between his own personal experience and the continuing job that he must perform.  Another great performance, although it is a small one with limited lines, is Greta Gerwig as Nancy Tuckerman who seems to be a personal assistant to Jackie.  There are only a few scenes between the two, but Portman and Gerwig show a wonderful chemistry with each other and you get a sense of the strength that the relationship holds through the crisis.

What all of these components do in a whole is create an extremely emotional experience.  This is not an inspirational, feel good, movie.  It is an exercise in the brutal, swirling emotions that would follow such a tragedy.  It is a numbing and depressing affair, the exact experience that Larrain would have us take.

Rating - 3.5 out of 4 Stars