As a die-hard Sofia Coppola fan, the release of “Priscilla” was like my Super Bowl. After months of counting down the days, this movie surely didn’t disappoint. “Priscilla” opened in theaters on Nov. 3rd, and is currently out in theaters worldwide.
“Priscilla” follows the life of Priscilla Presley and her relationship with Elvis. An adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s book, “Elvis and Me”, the movie paints a different picture of Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship than audiences may be used to. The movie begins with Priscilla as a 14-year-old American girl in Germany, where her father is stationed on a U.S. military base. Here, she meets 24-year-old rock-and-roll superstar Elvis Presley for the first time. The two begin dating despite her parents’ concern, and she eventually convinces them to let her move to Graceland, Tennessee with Elvis. We begin to see the ups and downs of Priscilla and Elvis’ seemingly perfect romance, and how Elvis’s career pressures and substance abuse negatively affects their relationship. Priscilla becomes pregnant and gives birth to their child. The two eventually begin leading separate lives as their relationship becomes difficult to navigate.
“Priscilla” is Sofia Coppola’s ninth film, and surely captures her trademark: a deep dive into the world of girlhood. With Coppola’s attention to detail and beautiful cinematography, “Priscilla” is a glamorous and aesthetically pleasing glimpse into the life of Priscilla Presley. “Priscilla” does a great job immersing the audience into Pricilla’s experience and her dreamy teenage perspective. It allows us to view her story as someone on the outside looking in, but still feel like we know exactly what she is feeling and going through. Everything is shown through Priscilla’s lens, a fantasy, though we can still see the dark side of their romance. Cailee Spaeny does an incredible job displaying Priscilla Presley through the years, showing both her capability to be controlled by Elvis and her ability to decide when enough is enough. Spaeny’s efforts paired with Jacob Elordi as Elvis, who brings a conflictingly charming yet ill-mannered character to life, makes for a great pair with loads of chemistry.
As you can probably tell, I really loved this movie. Coppola always creates a musing and fascinating story, and this was no different. Priscilla’s story is both empowering and captivating.
I would confidently rate “Priscilla” a 5/5. From start to finish, Coppola constructs a beautiful and heartfelt film certainly worth the watch.
