The 2023 movie, Priscilla, directed by Sofia Coppola, follows the rocky relationship between Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) and Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi). The movie has a run time of 113 minutes and I enjoyed every single one.
The movie begins at an Army base in West Germany where Priscilla is approached by a man who invites her to meet Elvis Presley. Priscilla, who was only fourteen years old, young, and impressionable, convinces her strict father to allow her to go. After visiting his home, Elvis and Priscilla begin a relationship, despite her parents’ early disapproval and their terrifyingly significant age difference of ten years–Priscilla being fourteen, and Elvis being twenty four.
Eventually Priscilla and Elvis earn their family’s approval and Priscilla moves to Elvis’s home in Memphis, Tennessee. As Elvis is away very often, Priscilla experiences extreme trouble regarding her social life and school. As time passes by, Priscilla is placed under more and more control by Elvis, as her hair and makeup changes dramatically throughout the film, one of my favorite touches. Eventually, Elvis and Priscilla get married. Elvis has many obvious emotional ups and downs as sometimes he takes Priscilla to gamble, roller skate, and spend time with friends, while other times he is judging her looks and behavior, manipulating her, and even going to the extent of becoming physically and emotionally violent.
After Elvis and Priscilla have a child, things begin to change. Priscilla is not a controllable and naive young woman anymore, which is very clearly displayed in the movie. Priscilla’s style begins to change: she has her own friends, and Elvis becomes less of a determining factor in her life. To end the movie, Priscilla finds Elvis in a hotel room and announces that she’ll be leaving their tempestuous marriage.
I could summarize this movie for hours, as there are so many beautiful touches and details regarding Priscilla’s growth throughout the movie, but I’ll talk about my favorites.
Throughout the movie, we obviously see Priscilla’s style and makeup change. In the beginning, she is light haired, wearing barely any makeup, and basic dresses. As time progresses through her relationship with Elvis, she begins to wear more extravagant outfits, but no patterns as Elvis doesn’t approve, and dyes her hair black, with dramatic eye makeup to complement it. Towards the end of the movie, when Priscilla allows herself to gain more freedom, her hair goes back to normal, her eye makeup fades, and she looks like herself again. To me, the change relating to her style signifies the lack of an act that she needs to put up to receive Elvis’s approval and the fact that it’s no longer necessary for her to make herself appear more mature than she really is.
Another tiny detail relating to Priscilla’s freedom that I really love is the gun that Elvis purchases for her. I feel that in doing this, it really points out the fact that a change in the power dynamic is coming, as the gun signifies Priscilla’s newfound ability to protect herself and the fact that she is finally taking back control from Elvis.
Finally, the reliance that both of them have on pills really displays their life together. Like a high and an addiction, their marriage has ups and downs, yet both are still unhealthily reliant on each other. Priscilla’s specific addiction displays her boredom, and once again, her desire to be seen as “mature.” The fact that both were taking pills frequently also proves that they were clearly unhappy together, as the only scenes that seem nostalgic and enjoyable are those that are preceded by taking something.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie, so much so that I’ve seen it multiple times. The accuracy of the time period seen in the details of the film are an amazing touch and even the way that the movie is filmed is extremely aesthetically pleasing. As if this weren’t enough, the soundtrack is also beautiful.
Although this film has a clear target audience, and I am a part of it, I do think that almost anyone can enjoy it. I’d definitely recommend this movie to young adults that love a strong female lead and those who enjoy period dramas. However, I would definitely not recommend this movie to Elvis fans and those who like a faster moving film. I rate Priscilla a 5/5 stars.
