A haunting – at first look beautiful – tale, which unfortunately corresponds to what really happened behind the glitz and glamour. Sofia Coppola is the master of showing what womanhood means and letting her main character strut through empty Graceland rooms with curls in her hair, dark shadow on her eyes and one dress more beautiful than the other and thus saying more than words could do. Little petite Cailee Spaeny just has to walk across velvet carpet in high heels and stare at the furniture and you are both captivated by her and can read off her how insane the life she now leads is.
Sometimes it just takes the female gaze to show what reality was like and that even though it’s not the primary focus turns this film into the true Elvis biopic. Growing up to be a woman is hard enough as it is, being stuck in an unequal relationship and getting carried away with things just because you want to please a man, too. But Coppola’ balances these issues gently and with dignity, allowing Priscilla to participate in the process of gaining strength and control over her own life.
We all deserve the right to have and to determine choices, the right to have access to opportunities and resources, the right to have power to control our own lives, both within and outside the home – no matter if the King of Rock n’ Roll stands in front of us or not.
