Jackie (2016 film)

Directed by Pablo Larrain and written by Noah Oppenheim, Jackie is the story about Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis who deals with the death of her husband John F. Kennedy and the plans for his funeral while looking back at her time when she was the First Lady of the United States. The film is an unconventional bio-pic of sorts as it follows Onassis’ time as the First Lady and dealing with the shocking death of her husband as Natalie Portman plays Jacqueline Kennedy. Also starring Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Carroll Lynch, Richard E. Grant, Beth Grant, and John Hurt. Jackie is an evocative and rapturous film from Pablo Larrain.

The film revolves around Jacqueline Kennedy’s days following the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy on November 22, 1963 as she plans for the funeral and such while talking to a journalist (Billy Crudup) less than a month later after the funeral. Told in a non-linear narrative, Noah Oppenheim’s script follows Jackie as she talks about her time in the White House with brief glimpses of life as the First Lady as well as the events of the assassination and its aftermath. The interview with the un-named journalist, which is based partially on Theodore H. White’s article for Life magazine, has Kennedy talking about her work as First Lady that included restoring rooms at the White House that was filmed for a TV program. Yet, the bulk of the narrative has Jackie talking about the funeral procession and planning for her husband as she looks to historical events of the past for inspiration while dealing with the loss she’s carrying.

Pablo Larrain’s direction is stylish for the way it captures a period in time as it has a looseness in its approach to compositions and how it captures history. With many of the interiors shot in a studio in Paris, France with the funeral procession shot on location in Washington D.C., Larrain would aim for something simpler as he doesn’t go for a lot of wide shots with the exception of the funeral scenes. Much of his compositions aim for close-ups and medium shots while the film is shot largely on a 1:66:1 aspect ratio with the exception of Jackie’s TV special where she gives a tour of the White House which is shot in the 1:33:1 aspect ratio and in grainy black-and-white. Larrain’s approach to those scenes have him recreate the idea of what 1960s TV looked like with shots of Jackie being filmed by a crew as there is a tracking shot following her every move until it cuts to her in black-and-white. It’s among some of the stylistic choices in the film while there is also the scenes of the day of the assassination where Larrain shoots a medium shot of Jackie getting ready for the motorcade while there is a lot happening in the background.

Larrain’s direction also captures the events of the assassination and the bloody aftermath that is inter-cut with Jackie talking to the journalist about what she remembers and telling him what not to print. Even as Larrain would film scenes of Jackie’s meeting with a priest (John Hurt) where she deals with mortality and wonders why her husband had to die as it is among one of the finest sequences on film. There are also these intimate moments involving Jackie’s relationship with her brother-in-law Bobby (Peter Sarsgaard) and her personal secretary Nancy Tuckerman (Great Gerwig) that helps humanize Jackie who is coping with her grief as well as wanting to honor her husband in a way that leaders with big ideas would be honored. The film would culminate the funeral procession as it is a moment where all of the grief and trauma that Jackie faced. She maintains the sense of dignity that is needed in the role of First Lady. Overall, Larrain creates an intoxicating and riveting film about Jacqueline Kennedy’s time following the assassination of her husband.

Cinematographer Stephane Fontaine does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of naturalistic colors and lighting to play into many of the exteriors in the day along with some low-key lighting for some of the interiors as well as scenes set at night. Editor Sebastian Sepulveda does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and other stylized cuts to play into the film’s non-linear narrative and Jackie’s own reflection of the events. Production designer Jean Rabasse, with set decorator Veronique Melery plus art directors Halina Gebarowicz, Mathieu Junot, and Emmanuel Prevot, does amazing work with recreation of the interiors of the White House including some of the famous bedrooms and the exterior sets of where Kennedy was to be buried. Costume designer Madeline Fontaine does amazing work with the costumes from the famed pink coat and hat Jackie wore on the day of the assassination to some of the gowns and such she would wear at various events of the past.

Makeup designers Sarai Fiszel and Odile Fourquin, with key hairstylists Janice Kinigopoulos and Catherine Leblanc, do fantastic work with the look of the hairstyles that the women had including Jackie’s hairstyle. Visual effects supervisors Thomas Duval, Sebastian Rame, and Tomas Roca do terrific work with some of the visual effects as it is mainly set-dressing with some recreation of the funeral procession and the way Jackie’s TV special is presented in its grainy footage. Sound designer David Miranda does superb work with the sound in the way some of the quieter moments at the White House are presented to scenes at Arlington and Jackie’s meeting with the priest where it has a natural atmosphere in the sound. The film’s music by Mica Levi is phenomenal for its orchestral score with its eerie usage of string arrangements and low-key textures to play into the drama while music supervisor Bridget Samuels provides a soundtrack that consists of a few classical pieces and a cut from the musical Camelot which Jackie plays on a record player.

The casting by Lindsay Graham, Jessica Kelly, Mathilde Snodgrass, and Mary Vernieu is remarkable as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Sunnie Pelant as Caroline Kennedy, Brody and Aiden Weinberg as John F. Kennedy Jr., Julie Judd as Bobby’s wife Ethel, and Caspar Phillipson as President John F. Kennedy. John Carroll Lynch is terrific as Lyndon Johnson who would become the new President of the United States of America as he tries to give Jackie advice about the funeral while Beth Grant is wonderful as Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson who also wants to help as she also prepares for her new role as First Lady. Max Casella is superb as Jack Valienti who was Johnson’s assistant at the time where he also tries to organize the funeral service while Richard E. Grant is fantastic as William Walton who is Jackie’s collaborator in the White House restoration project as he helps her in the historical research for what she wanted for her husband’s funeral procession.

In one of his final film performances, John Hurt is excellent as the priest who meets Jackie to discuss faith as well as giving his views of what happened where it is this very restrained yet calm performance as it is one of Hurt’s finest performances. Billy Crudup is brilliant as the journalist who interviews Jackie at her home in Massachusetts as he tries to understand some of the answers Jackie is giving him as well as what he should tell the press. Greta Gerwig is amazing as Nancy Tuckerman as Jackie’s personal secretary who is Jackie’s director during the TV special for the White House restoration while also being a close confidant in being someone to talk to as it’s an understated yet touching performance from Gerwig. Peter Sarsgaard is marvelous as Bobby Kennedy as the then-Attorney General and Jackie’s brother-in-law who is trying to help Jackie with the funeral arrangements as well as doing his job and shielding her from any news that could upset her.

Finally, there’s Natalie Portman in what is definitely a performance for the ages as Jacqueline Kennedy. It’s a performance that is this fine mixture of radiance, restraint, anguish, and grace where Portman definitely disappears into the character where she captures many of the nuances and attributes of Jackie without deviating into an impersonation. Instead, Portman provides that air of dignity in Jackie in the way she copes with grief and the trauma of seeing her husband killed in front of her as well as the way she tries to maintain this role of regality that is needed in being a First Lady where it is definitely Portman in a career-defining performance.

Jackie is a tremendous film from Pablo Larrain that features an outstanding leading performance from Natalie Portman in the titular role. Along with its great supporting cast, inventive script by Noah Oppenheim, gorgeous visuals, top-notch technical work, and Mica Levi’s ravishing score. It’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules of a bio-pic by focusing on a specific time in the life of one of the great First Ladies in American history as she is aware of role in American history and how she tries to maintain that sense of dignity for herself and her husband. In the end, Jackie is a magnificent film from Pablo Larrain.

Pablo Larrain Films: (Fuga) – (Tony Manero) – (Post Mortem) – No (2012 film) - (The Club (2015 film)) – (Neruda)

© thevoid99 2017

No (2012 film)

Based on the unpublished play El Plebiscito by Antonio Skarmeta, No is the story about an advertising man in late 1980s Chile who is asked to create a campaign to vote against Augusto Pinochet in the 1988 national plebiscite. Directed by Pablo Larrain and screenplay by Pedro Peirano, the film is a look into a man who would help end Pinochet’s dictatorship as it’s the third film of Larrain’s trilogy about Pinochet. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Nestor Cantillana. No is a captivating film from Pablo Larrain.

The film is a simple story about the NO campaign in the 1988 national plebiscite where the people of Chile had to vote whether to keep Augusto Pinochet for eight more years as this vote is being seen all over the world as Pinochet would be forced to see what the people will vote for. Leading this NO campaign is a young advertising executive who is asked by a Socialist friend of his to create ideas for the campaign while his boss would eventually take charge of the YES campaign. It’s a film that explores one young man’s attempt to create something that is for the sake of his country as well as the future of his young son in the hopes that he wouldn’t have to see his son endure the pain and terror of Pinochet’s dictatorship.

Pedro Peirano’s screenplay plays into the life of Rene Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal) who starts out as a man who creates commercials for an advertising company as it’s a life he’s content with despite the fact that he and his wife Veronica (Antonia Zegers) are separated. When being approached by his Socialist friend Jose Tomas Urrutia (Luis Gnecco) to take part in the NO campaign, Rene says no at first as he didn’t want to interfere with his job or jeopardize his friendship with his boss Lucho (Alfredo Castro). Yet, he couldn’t turn down the idea of overthrowing Pinochet and bring a bright future to Chile for his son. Much of the script explores the ideas for a campaign where Saavedra realizes that if they have to get votes from young and old voters, they would have to do something different and radical.

While the script plays into a lot of the history of Pinochet’s reign, it also takes it time to explore what Saavedra and the people he’s working are struggling with as they knew that showing images of what Pinochet has done wouldn’t work. By going for something that was hopeful, it would create some tension not just among some of the people in the NO campaign but also cause trouble with the people running the YES campaign as they’re unsure of what to do to counter the NO campaign. Lucho tries to offer Saavedra a very prestigious offer after the election only to be turned down as Lucho does whatever to keep the YES campaign going only to realize that everything he’s doing for his bosses aren’t working.

Pablo Larrain’s direction is very mesmerizing not just for the intimacy he created but in the visual look of the film that is really striking. Shot in a full-frame aspect ratio and on video-like film format known as U-matic to play into that period, it’s a film that is about a moment in time where Chile was at a critical point in time where they’re not sure if Pinochet would still rule as the whole world is watching. The look and its intimacy has this nostalgic feel while the video footage of the campaigns definitely look like what Latin American television looked like at that time. Much of the NO campaign commercials do have a sense of cheesiness yet it does have a point in not just the future of Chile but also what might happen. Some of it is very funny and light-hearted while some of it is also sobering as opposed to the more propaganda-based approach of the YES campaign.

There’s also some moments of suspense in the direction in the way it portrays some of the chaos that goes on in Chile as it’s shot on location in the country and the city of Santiago. Even as Larrain was able to recreate some of the protests and marches that went on during the 27-day campaign period as well as incorporate archival footage of these events that include testimonials from Jane Fonda, Richard Dreyfuss, and the late Christopher Reeve. While its outcome would be known, it’s more about what Saavedra would feel about in his role as well as the impact it have. The film’s final credits would reveal footage of the people who were part of this campaign as they meet the actors who would play them. Overall, Larrain crafts a very stylish yet riveting film about the NO campaign that would end Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile.

Cinematographer Sergio Armstrong does brilliant work with the film‘s cinematography with its grainy yet rich look in its video-like form as it plays to something that has an air of nostalgia but also some style that features additional work from visual effects supervisor/colorist Ismael Cabrera to play with the look of the film as well as the TV footage. Editor Andrea Chignoli does excellent work with the editing from the stylized approach of the adds as well as montages for some of the historical footage and jump-cuts for some of the film‘s drama. Art director Estefania Larrain and set decorator Maria Eugenia Hederra do fantastic work with the set pieces from the offices that Saavedra works at as well as his house and the studio where he looks into the filming of the ads.

Costume designer Francisca Roman does nice work with the costumes as it plays to the look of the late 80s for most of the characters while many of the government officials wear suits and uniforms. Sound designer Miguel Hormazabal does superb work with the sound from the way TV sounded back then to the sounds of crowds gathering for marches and such. The film’s music by Carlos Cabezas is terrific as it doesn’t appear much in the film as it’s mostly an orchestral-based score that is very low-key as it plays to some of the drama that occurs.

The film’s wonderful cast includes some notable small roles from Jaime Vadell as a government minister, Marcial Tagle as Saavedra’s friend Alberto who aids him in the campaign, Elsa Poblete as Saavedra’s maid Carmen, and Pascal Montero as Saavedra’s young son Simon who watches everything that happens. Nestor Cantillana is excellent as the video director Fernando who often spars with Saavedra on a creative and political level as they reluctantly work together while Antonia Zegers is fantastic as Saavedra’s estranged wife Veronica whose work in protests and such has her returning to the life of her son as she contemplates about returning to Saavedra for a less complicated life. Luis Gnecco is brilliant as Saavedra’s Socialist friend Urrutia who brings him to the NO campaign while hoping that the campaign will do some good.

Alfredo Castro is amazing as Saavedra’s conservative boss Lucho who runs the YES campaign as he deals with Saavedra’s newfound affiliation while still being a friend as he also deals with the limited resources he had to use for the YES campaign. Finally, there’s Gael Garcia Bernal in a remarkable performance as Rene Saavedra as a young advertising executive who runs the NO campaign as he deals with the possibilities of the campaign as well as its unorthodox approach as it’s a performance that has Bernal be somewhat restrained but also show a determination as a man who would play a small part in changing Chile’s political identity.

No is an incredible film from Pablo Larrain that features a marvelous performance from Gael Garcia Bernal. The film doesn’t just offer something for history buffs about the end of Augusto Pinochet’s reign but it’s also a unique portrait of a period in time where thing was about to change told with such style. In the end, No is a phenomenal film from Pablo Larrain.

Pablo Larrain Films: (Fuga) - (Tony Manero) - (Post Mortem) - (The Club (2015 film)) - (Neruda) - Jackie (2016 film)

© thevoid99 2014