A public tragedy. Jackie Review
In the life of every country, at least once, its own "Golden Age" happened - a time of prosperity, where distant descendants would like to return. For modern America, this is, of course, the 60s, where the explosion of creativity, individualism and great ideas was accompanied by great tragedies. One of them was the death of 35th President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. It would seem that at the moment everything that is possible has been said and removed about this event, different versions and conspiracy theories have been played up. The murders of both Kennedy brothers will long attract the attention of society, and the personalities of family members themselves became one of the main symbols of the era during their lifetime.However, the author's approach often allows us to look at the well-known history and legendary people from an unexpected angle. The same can be said about the drama "Jackie" Pablo Larrain , chamberly and emotionally focusing attention on the president's widow immediately after the murder and at the same time sending this woman's personal tragedy into eternity.  One could argue that Jacqueline Kennedy herself has long inscribed her name in history, and this is true. Despite all the dirty rumors, she will forever remain in the memory of Americans as a role model, as their Princess Diana - aristocratic, reserved, educated. The innovation of Larrain is that he leaves all this in the background as a matter of course. Historical details like the famous pink Jacqueline suit or Lyndon Johnson's hasty oath of allegiance are in place, but this is just a facade for a very different museum. "Jackie" is in many ways a new kind of biopic, using other, unusual for the genre, techniques. This is not in its pure form an ode to a famous person or, on the contrary, the exposure of illusions. There are no bright and suggestive accents that can catch the viewer's attention, - the director, together with screenwriter Noah Oppenheim, bring the well-known plot to the drama of a different level. The director is interested in the emotions and experiences of Jacqueline after the tragedy, and not in political intrigues or an exciting murder investigation.  The canvas of this award-nominated picture is cut from tattered and seemingly heterogeneous episodes: here Jacqueline receives a journalist at his residence, in order to tell the truth about November 22; here she says goodbye to the White House; here she confesses to the priest and asks him to explain the meaning of her suffering. These and other scenes are presented in the film inconsistently, in short episodes, constantly switching the viewer's attention from one plane to another. And only in this eclecticism and unevenness does the whole Jackie appear - not as a historical person, but as a strong and suffering person, whose emotions you want to share. The distance between her and the viewer is minimal, and in some moments it may seem that you and Jackie , despite social and time barriers, have a lot in common. The viewer understands that what he saw is part of the famous interview of the former first lady to Life magazine, against the background of which familiar historical scenes appear, the retro-styling of the famous walks around the White House and, of course, the director's own fantasies. True, his fantasies cannot be called particularly inventive in the usual sense of the word: their center is not so much the unexpected exposure of the media image of Jackie . Prudence and nerves of steel were combined in her with weakness and defenselessness. Therefore, outwardly not very similar to Jacqueline Natalie Portman, who always perfectly portrays neurosis, is an ideal figure for this role. And she plays here in such a way that the beautiful Emma Stone, most likely, had to be seriously worried in the last minutes of Oscars .  It seems that Jacqueline also turned out to be close to Portman due to her acting nature: she staged performances without distinguishing them from life. Absolutely unnatural on a tour of the White House, restrained and persistent at the funeral ceremony, somewhat frank with the reporter and confused and sincere in conversations with the priest - these images of Natalie Portman from episode to episode change very convincingly. Incidentally, the interest of the Chilean Larrain to biopics and historical events in Jackie is not the first time. You can even say that this is already his strong point. Six months before this drama, he released the phantasmagoric "Neruda" with Gael Garcia Bernal in one of the main roles, and before that - "No" with the same actor, about the right marketing against Augusto Pinochet. And each time the director deviates more and more from the narrative usual for biographical tapes, placing accents in unusual places or even placing the historical person in fictitious circumstances (as in the case of Neruda ). True, the plot of "Jackie" came to Larrain second-hand - at first Darren Aronofsky wanted to do the project, starring his now ex-wife Rachel Weisz. As a result, Aronofsky became a producer of long-term construction, and Larrain , from his position of a foreigner, not included so deeply in American culture, introduced detachment and a certain amount of irresponsibility in the biopic in the good sense of the word ...  To the viewer familiar with the tapes “John F. Kennedy. Shots in Dallas ”,“ Parkland ”or the TV series“ The Kennedy Clan ”, the intimate journey through the emotions of Jackie is likely to seem plotless and even boring. And this viewer has the right to be disappointed, because the soil is fertile, and Larrain completely ignores it. However, one cannot agree with some critics that the picture has no center, no core. Together with Jackie , who instantly lost the world she had created, we say goodbye to illusions, to a bright and mythologized past, to an entire era. That is why Jacqueline , according to Larrain , needed a magnificent farewell ceremony for her husband - as a sign of the official death of his own ideals and dreams. And at first glance, a lighthearted song about the fallen Camelote -"And let the people remember, / That for a brilliant and brief moment / We had Camelot "- becomes a sad leitmotif and expression of the familiar feeling of nostalgia for forever lost and, perhaps, fleeting happiness. Behind each beautiful picture, there may be something more ambiguous and tragic. And most importantly, there is a living person behind every legend. And to touch such a simple truth is an unconditional success for the viewer, tired of false pathos and censored history. Each beautiful picture may hide something more ambiguous and tragic. And most importantly, there is a living person behind every legend. And to touch such a simple truth is an unconditional success for the viewer, tired of false pathos and censored history. Behind each beautiful picture, there may be something more ambiguous and tragic. And most importantly, there is a living person behind every legend. And to touch such a simple truth is an unconditional success for the viewer, tired of false pathos and censored history. 
The Topic of Article: A public tragedy. Jackie Review. |
