by H. Nelson Tracey/ www.cinemacy.com
For better or for worse, timing plays a massive role in our view of films, no matter how much we as an audience try to be objective. Yet, when employed correctly, a movie can strike an exact chord. Perhaps in the wake of the most divisive election in our lifetime, an intimate look at the Presidency and those closest to it is exactly the type of film we need right now.
Jackie tells the story of the First Lady and specifically, her relationship with the American people including the US President’s closest confidantes. Focusing solely on the week after JFK’s assassination, Natalie Portman takes on the titular role and breathes necessary life into a character who had, up until now, been most often seen as just a pretty picture in textbooks. The film undoubtedly belongs to her, as we see her in every single scene, and in most shots, the camera stays as physically close as possible to Portman’s performance. It’s been six years since Black Swan topped my list as one of the best films of the year, and since that time, Natalie Portman has been noticeably absent (with a good excuse- she got married to French choreographer Benjamin Millepied and gave birth to a son, Aleph). In Jackie, we’re reminded of how essential she is to movies. If there’s any doubt that she has the chops for another Oscar nomination, let those be dismissed: this is Portman firing on all cylinders.
The film’s question/theme is one we ought to be discussing as well: the line between private and public life in the White House. In the aftermath of tragedy, Jackie Kennedy grieved the death of her husband but was also required to make decisions that the entire nation would watch and presumably analyze, while remaining conscious of how to best represent herself and her late husband as national leaders. Much of the film talks about legacy and historical impact– perhaps every President is secretly obsessed with how they will be viewed in the years to come, and because few people know them as real people, they quickly become mythological figures. I recently watched a Criterion Collection film called Secret Honor which is a one-man play starring Philip Baker Hall as Richard Nixon. If any relevant takeaway was to be had, it is that the US Presidents in our pop culture are similar to how Shakespeare utilized the Kings of his era: they become characterized icons that are molded over time based on what we think of them.
Jackie also highlights the ending of one presidency and the transition to another, which plays close to home given the magnitude of the changing of the guard we’re about to face come January. These themes could not be more relevant today, but even more interesting is this tightrope balance between private and public life that the First Lady must walk with every decision.
Great historical films portray an era, yet ring true of the present: here is one such entry in the story of a public servant forced to be stoic under unimaginable circumstances. It’s not a tearjerker, but in a way that’s the point. Instead, Jackie is an intellectual and emotional look at a moment in history that will never be forgotten and in today’s world, a lesson in what can be learned from the past. I certainly hope it generates as much internal discussion for you as it did for me.
Jackie is rated R for brief strong violence and some language. 99 minutes. Now playing in select theaters.
