Priscilla Review

Since the movie Elvis came out last year there has been a resurgence in the man’s popularity. Austin Butler has received far more attention than he deserves and for some reason we forgot that Elvis was actually a terrible person. Well Sofia Coppola has done her duty to not only film but women everywhere. Priscilla tells the story of the child bride of Elvis Presley and the reality of what it was like to be involved with that man.

Let’s start off with the fact that this movie was very difficult to watch, but in a good way. Coppola did an incredible job of showing Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship in a very real light. In all of their more volatile interactions the scenes were short. She only showed exactly as much as she needed to. And each interaction was handled with a lot of respect for Priscilla and the women in the audience. Something most male filmmakers have not grasped yet is that you can convey your message and depict a violent character without actually showing us violence. It was very clear that Elvis was abusive to Priscilla both emotionally and physically, it was very clear that he raped her, it was very clear that he was controlling. And all of that was portrayed easily and clearly without putting the audience through any actual violence or rape.

The other thing that Sofia did a great job with was showing that Priscilla didn’t fall in love with some abusive asshole. She fell in love with someone who made her feel special and seen. She fell in love with someone thoughtful, attentive and respectful. And once he had her, and isolated her then he started controlling her. “It's either me or a career baby…when I call I need you to be there”. This is like abusive relationship 101, he wanted her to have nothing in her life but him. Cailee Spaeny also did an incredible job playing Priscilla. Cailee has this beautiful and impressive ability at conveying youth. The way that she looked at Elvis was obviously with attraction but the way they interacted clarified that she was just a little girl. Let’s all remember that when Elvis went after Priscilla, she was 14. This also means that none of this was her fault. I have said over and over again that teenagers are the dumbest human beings on the planet and that is just the circle of life. She isn’t supposed to be smart enough to handle a relationship with a grown man. It was her parents' job to protect her and they failed. She was groomed by a celebrity and they just let it happen. This by the way is the literal definition of grooming. She was 14, he was 24. He led her on for 2 years, moved her to Memphis when she was 17. Continued to isolate her and control her until she was legal, then he married her. This movie was written by Sofia Coppola but it was based on Priscilla’s book Elvis and Me, and it was co-produced by Priscilla herself. This is as accurate as it gets.

Overall the movie was incredible. It was beautifully shot and it really enhanced the actors' performances. Cailee was truly amazing and I hope to see her in a lot of projects coming forward. And it was truly difficult to watch because of the fact that it was reality. And no one wants to watch a 14 year old girl get groomed and abused. But really the important part is that she got out, she left him so it was a happy ending.