Rating: 4/5

‘Priscilla’, an intimate peer into the life of an often overlooked Priscilla Presley, seamlessly weaves a story of girlhood and isolation into pastel-muted shots of an idyllic world, perfectly on par with director Sofia Coppola’s signature sad-girl style.

Spanning across the entirety of the starlet’s tumultuous marriage, the film does not shy away from casting light on a more privately pained perspective of the hailed star Elvis Presley as told by Priscilla Presley, his long-time partner and only wife. The biopic, based on Presley’s memoir “Elvis and Me” debuted on Sept. 4, 2023, starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi as the film’s two leading roles.

The story of their relationship is told across three parts: the early stages, the rocky years, and the end. ‘Priscilla’ opens with a desperately homesick 14-year-old Priscilla, stationed with her family in Germany. She yearns for her life back in America, that is until she’s invited to a party hosted by none other than Elvis Presley, the dazzling king of rock and roll himself. Starstruck, Priscilla retreats further into her sweet, shy demeanor as a 22-year-old Elvis approaches her for the first time. As their relationship develops, we see an enamored Priscilla, head over heels in love. Her pure adoration for Elvis endears viewers, her devotion and salient adolescence translating through pinned-up pictures of Elvis on her dresser and cursive repetitions of the star’s name, i’s dotted with precise little hearts.

However, as the film progresses, the audience is, more and more so, disclosed to the jarring power imbalances between Priscilla and Elvis. Juxtaposed with the bright lights and glamorous nights of Elvis, Coppola portrays Priscilla’s dedicated life of unconditional love from afar with isolating shots of days and nights alone in a chillingly large mansion, left with little company save for a small white puppy. Gone were the days she dictated her judgment; Priscilla was at the center of every fangirl’s dream, yet only at the expense of her power and a life of her own. Along with times of unadulterated joy are harrowing moments of fear, dictated by the ever-changing, ever-so temperamental Elvis.

Along with the subtly hard-hitting storytelling, the film excels in countless other areas. Spaeny as Priscilla captures her journey from youth to adulthood perfectly, executing the most precise microexpressions that quietly work to build up a strong angle into the intense yet restrained emotions of Priscilla. The soft colors of the cinematography are beautiful yet don’t draw attention to themselves: a parallel to the gentle, feminine nature of Priscilla, a consistent support system willing to take a backseat to let her love shine.

The film mimics Priscilla’s real-life developments in facing her story as she grapples with memories of the ebbs and flows of her and Elvis’s relationship. The film passionately recounts all of their relationship, including the beautiful and especially the ugly. It’s about falling victim to childhood naivety and the journey to reclaiming her independence. Strikingly raw and authentic, Coppola’s ‘Priscilla’ is a beautifully crafted testament to a story of young love and the untold truths of a relationship heavily publicized by the world, yet truly known by none.