'Jackie' - **** Review
- Kelly Stewart
- Feb 15, 2017
- 2 min read
‘I believe the characters we read on the page become more real than the men who stand beside us.’
‘Jackie’ is a portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a representation of the First Lady as she fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband's historic legacy and the world of "Camelot" that she created and loved so well.
‘Jackie’ is moving, and thought-provoking, and contains some truly phenomenal screen acting performances. Natalie Portman plays the title role, and holds the film with subtlety and strength, as she creates the perfect balance between impression and reality. It is always a difficult task for an actor to play a historic figure, especially one so famous for her way of speaking and holding herself, and to deny Portman praise for her execution of the role would be wrong. The same has to be said for supporting actor Peter Sarsgaard, who plays the equally iconic role of Bobby Kennedy with such intense complexity he is impossible not to watch.
The best thing about the film is certainly the acting performances, and with a special and beautifully written appearance of John Hurt playing the role of Jackie’s Priest, which any fan will be moved to tears by due the recent loss of one of the greatest actors we have ever had. However, the acting wouldn’t be able to carry itself without the intelligence of the script. Written by Noah Oppenheim, the screenplay contains such complex thought on humanity, philosophy and politics it certainly surprized us here at On It by how much it made us think about History and the meaning of a ‘legacy’, as it wasn’t at all what we expected from the film. It was a pleasant surprize from the Academy Nominated film, and certainly makes the film a great example of the power of cinema’s ability to make honest social and philosophical commentary.
However, we here at On It must be honest and say that the films down fall is its pace. Due to the amount of focus spent on a small period in history (quite literally the days between his assassination and his funeral), and the constant cutting of a broadcast of Jackie touring the public around the White House from before the assassination, it meant that the film took a lot of time to reach its commentary, and therefore it took a while to capture audience attention.
All in all, we still highly recommend investing time in this film, especially for any young actor, as the acting performances are truly outstanding, and show exactly how to create complex, moving drama on the screen worthy of Oscar nomination.
So, what are you waiting for!?
GET ON IT!
Comments