Review by Zac Cameron
Jackie was a film I anticipated with great enthusiasm, as Natalie Portman is a sensational actress and the early buzz was that she’s a favourite for the Oscar, and as a matter of fact, it’d be a farce if she didn’t win.
One of the film’s redeeming features is the style of it. Jackie uses a grainy film look to all its footage to subconsciously kind of take us back to the 60’s especially with its colour grading which is fantastic, it really is. No matter what the scene or shot is you wouldn’t be judged at all if you thought this was set in the 60’s and that’s something that makes this film great. With its fantastic performances, striking colours and visuals, this film is one that makes others envious.
The film is shot in a different aspect ratio to what you’d normally experience in a cinema with a normal film, but Jackie totally blew me away. It really gave the film the edge it was looking for in a sense, and had my eyes fully glued to the screen.
The screenplay by Noah Oppenhaim was amazing, as i read it before going into the film and i was very impressed by how effective it was, and how the actors adapted it to the best of their ability and shocked me at how amazing it was performed by every character in the film.
The direction by Pablo Larrain, is gorgeously done. Certain camera shots for instance, when Jackie and JFK were in the car, made me feel rather claustrophobic, and made me feel immersed within the entire cinematic experience. A solid effort on that part for sure.
Now, two of the best elements to Jackie are both the acting and the original score. I know everyone is hyping La La Land to win best original score, but personally, I think Jackie should take it. The score is ever so eloquent by Mica Levy, and was almost the backbone to the film as when certain incidents happened, it helped to lift the levity of emotion and shock to the audience and the characters within the film.
The way they played “Camelot” on the day JFK died was invitingly chilling, and a fantastic scene in the film that i will not go into detail about, but it was extremely effective and very unsettling.
The best thing without a doubt in this film is the performances. Peter Saarsgard was excellent as John’s brother, Bobby. He gave a great performance. As did Greta Gerwig as Nancy, I thought she was excellent too. One performance I liked in particular was Billy Crudup’s character, who was the reporter that Jackie was recalling the events to; I think he did an excellent job. And the choice to briefly play JFK which was Caspar Phillipson was also great, as he actually looked the part.
The standout performance is clearly Portman’s Jackie. She gives a poignant, honest, extremely realistic performance as the First Lady, and completely blew me away. She was the perfect choice for this role, and I really hope to see her win the Oscar, as this was one of the best performances in a female role that I’ve seen in a while. The film was mind-blowing, a moving performance and one that will define her career.
Overall, Jackie is an unforgettable cinematic experience. It will immerse you and will stun you, and with its redeeming features occurring throughout, that is what makes Jackie one of the best films to be released in cinema in recent years.
I give Jackie a solid 9.5/10.
