by Elisa Giudici
Cailee Spaeny stars in Sofia Coppola's "Priscilla"
Years after her own Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola returns with Priscilla weaving another narrative about a teenage queen trapped within a gilded palace. Few storytellers are as adept as Coppola in capturing the essence of female adolescence and the fleeting emotions of someone discovering their true self. (Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of writers and directors interested in exploring such characters.)
From the outset of Priscilla, Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) is depicted as the quintessential American adolescent girl: there's even a scene of her idly tapping her foot beneath her school desk, lost in boredom and daydreams. This seems like a nod to Britney Spears' "Oops... I Did It Again" music video, albeit without the hypersexualization...
As a catalog of American life in the '60s, Priscilla consistently hits the mark. Shots of everyday objects, cars, nail polishes, makeup, and ceramic ornaments are recurring and visually captivating (the standout being when Priscilla coordinates her tiny guns with her outfits on her bed). However, it becomes apparent that in Elvis Presley's eyes, Priscilla is just another ornament to match his fantasy at Graceland.
Elvis (Jacob Elordi) is portrayed in a grotesque manner, an unusual departure from the typical visuals in Coppola's filmography. He is stripped of his music (notably absent from the movie) and ridiculed in the only scene where he performs on stage. Off stage he's depicted as a possessive, manipulative, and occasionally violent husband who controls every aspect of Priscilla's life, from their wedding date to her makeup, hair, wardrobe, and even their sexual encounters (or lack thereof). Paradoxically, he is also portrayed as a frail and insecure individual, threatened by any display of strong will in women, perhaps fearing it would emasculate him.
Prisclla (cinematgoraphy by Philippe Le Sourd)
The film's central challenge is that by dedicating so much time to deconstructing the Elvis myth, Coppola inadvertently makes him the most intriguing character in the movie. Elvis is as trapped as Priscilla in his own way, a young man in search of something to imbue his life with meaning, whether through experimenting with LSD, engaging with bizarre books, or interpreting the Bible in unconventional ways.
In contrast, Priscilla herself remains an enigma throughout her own film. This seems like less of a choice than a byproduct of the script's choices. Coppola reveals litte about Priscilla's desires, interests, or even her flaws. Unlike the depiction of Marie Antoinette in Coppola's 2006 film, who exhibited curiosity and passions, Priscilla seems like a totally ordinary girl caught in a situation much larger than herself.
The latter part of the movie suffers as a result. Priscilla somehow regains control over fragments of her life (how exactly?), and decides to leave Elvis. In a mere five minutes, we transition from initial small victories to bidding her husband farewell. An ill-conceived attempt at a non-consensual sex scene leaves a bitter aftertaste, as it appears solely as a plot device to expedite her departure. It is particularly jarring that a film ostensibly about Priscilla (not Priscilla Presley, nor Priscilla & Elvis) concludes just when the titular character begins to discover her own identity without her enormously famous husband.
Priscilla opens in US theaters on October 27th