We'll not see another like her, and we'll not see many biopics like Jackie. Unconventional in the best possible way, the film launches us headfirst into the hidden life of the icon who was no less unconventional in winning the hearts of Americans. This is not your typical tale, it's told atypically, and it plays a fine line between ravishing tragedy and devastating glory.
Exploring the time immediately following the assassination of her husband in 1963, Jackie reels us in by splashing us into different scenes of her life. Director Pablo Larrain leads us on a nonlinear journey to the heart of our hero as she balances politics and society and motherhood and widowhood and religion and style and formality and grief. He doesn't want us to see a great Greek tragedy about a dynasty in free fall and the horrors of family drama. He doesn't even want us to view the film as a history text documenting the trials and tribulations of the "woman behind the man." He shows us a woman. Sure, she happens to be grieving. Sure, she happens to be the most famous woman in the country. But we see her celebrating life, caring for her children, concerned for her legacy, brandishing her wit, unlacing her sorrow (behind closed doors, of course), and generally being a person. We see her building her own strength, refusing to let men run her life and her image, demanding a place in history as more than the wife of a murdered president while also lovingly facilitating his own memorial. Her search for meaning and fight for survival are inspiring.
And it works best because of Natalie Portman. Her indelibly nuanced performance aches with passion and intelligence. Her affected speech, commanding presence, and subtle movement work combine in a mesmerizing, chameleonic display of excellent acting craft. Thankfully, her director is smart enough to let her take charge, and he seems to follow her lead willingly. Though using an unusually complex narrative structure -- less a biopic than a character study -- Larrain handles his art as a master, gracefully implementing visual invention and stylistic grace in tandem with the story. It may take several viewings to appreciate the set decoration, costumes, music, screenplay, and performances (especially those by Peter Sarsgaard and John Hurt in his final film role), but by no means do those excellent and abundant elements distract from the real drama pouring out of the screen.
I only wish I had seen this before Oscar night. I had thought it was Oscar-bait, a vehicle for Portman that would surely flirt with sentimental exploitation if not wed it and bed it in one sad mess. I was wrong. This isn't just an awards movie. It's high art, great cinema, and novel storytelling.
IMDb: Jackie
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