In Priscilla, Sofia Coppola reveals an Elvis Presley in love, but incapable of love [REVIEW]

Passion is a feeling that can easily be confused with love, but it is not. In definition, it is an intense feeling about something that can, yes, be love, but can also be hate, desire, attraction or excess enthusiasm. It is important that this is clear before talking about Priscillanew feature film Sofia Coppolawhich tells the story of the woman who would become known as the wife of Elvis Presleythe only one to know another side of one of the biggest music stars of all time.

A Rolling Stone Brazil and the CinemaBuzz had the opportunity to check out the production in advance, which hits Brazilian cinemas on December 26th, during the 25th edition of Rio Festival, which took place between October 5th and 15th in Rio de Janeiro. Based on the book Elvis and Iwritten by herself Priscilla Presley in partnership with Sandra Harmonthe film says little about its protagonist, focusing on the tortuous relationship between the woman and her idol, who seemed incapable of loving her fully.

Without worrying about contexts, Priscilla throws us, like gatecrashers, into the life of the young woman then known as Priscilla Beaulieu. In the opening scenes, we see the young girl, aged 14, approached by a stranger, who invites her for a casual visit to his house. Elvis Presley, as if he wasn’t one of the biggest rising stars of the time. A fan of the star, like any girl her age at the time, Priscilla She gets her parents’ approval to come face to face with her idol who, luckily for her, soon falls in love with her.

At first, he is respectful, kind, affectionate, which makes Priscilla Believe that you have found the love of your life. However, Elvis is also distant, physically and emotionally. He seems to reciprocate the girl’s romantic interest, but in a very peculiar way, as if she were an expensive gift that he needed to take as much care of as possible.

Without any big promises, Elvis takes the girl under his wing, ensuring that he won’t lose her at her young age, providing everything she needs to be her great achievement, moving her into his home, choosing the school in which she will report on her studies, dressing her in the best clothes and even giving her opinion on the color of her hair.

Priscillathen, becomes a supporting role in your own life, existing as a function of the relationship with Elviswhich at certain times seems like a fairy tale, admired by so many women who would like to be in the young woman’s place, but at other times it turns out to be a nightmare, when Elvis shows himself to be much more than just a controlling man, but also temperamental, explosive and aggressive, who cannot distinguish his own feelings of love and hate for his wife.

Formed by fragments of more than a decade of relationship, Priscilla sins for being superficial. It is difficult to condense the years of experience between Priscilla It is Elvis in about two hours of film, like the script Sofia Coppola tries to achieve, and lately it becomes tiring trying to situate oneself between the different moments presented on the screen.

Despite this, the film fulfills its role of portraying the abandoned Priscilla per Elviseven after molding himself to fit into an ideal relationship created singularly by him. Cailee Spaeny (Young Witches: New Sisterhood), chosen to play the protagonist, does an excellent job of portraying Priscilla at the different stages of the relationship, from the innocent young woman to the discontented and frustrated woman, who is forced to live with the insecurity of an unstable marriage.

Life wasn’t fair to Priscilla Presleyforcing her to carry the burden of being the eternal wife of one of the greatest idols in the history of music, and it is not the film of Sofia Coppola that will change that. But it is interesting to deconstruct the image of who was Elvis Presley and bring it closer to a more human way, especially after the success of Elvisbiopic of the artist by Baz Luhrmannreleased in 2022: he might seem like a god to many, but he was also human, flawed, like any other man.