Jackie

The best biopics tend to pick a very specific period in the subject’s life – say, a particular day or series of events – rather than try to cover the lot from cradle to grave. This allows them to delve a bit deeper into how that person really ticked – how this one event altered them, with more intense focus, rather than having to try to shove in every famous event of a person’s life.

Natalie Portman delivers in spades as Jackie Bouvier Kennedy – largely focused on the week immediately following her husband’s death, as she attempts for the last time to stage manage the legacy of a president. There’s a hell of a lot of surface calm covering up rage and frustration – an immaculate sense of complete control  with turmoil held underneath. It’s a film that is very much about surfaces – about how the country presents itself in a time of crisis, about whether a person can will themselves and their world into greatness.

This doesn’t quite sustain its length – there’s a period of about ten-twenty minutes near the end where it seems the film is slightly turning its wheels, covering the same ground repeatedly rather than progressing anywhere. A lot of the minor characters are played by established names which does make it particularly odd that their parts are pretty functional rather than anything more interesting. And the ending is a little too eager to wrap everything up patly, while the rest of the film allows few easy resolutions. But this is a powerhouse vehicle for Portman, and she meets its demands with aplomb.