Sofia Coppola’s dreamy movies all carry a sense of unease. Despite the ornate, lavish, portrait-like depictions of her characters, there’s always a sense of impending doom in her films. Coppola’s latest film, Priscilla, to be released on November 3, 2023, is no exception. Like any other girl her age, Priscilla, at just 14 years old, was excited to meet global superstar Elvis Presley. The trailer tells the tale of a whirlwind romance between the King of Rock and Roll and a young, impressionable girl who was barely out of high school.
Priscilla Presley, portrayed by Cailee Spaeny in Coppola’s film, lived a life many other girls could only dream of back then. She lived in Graceland with Elvis, had secret trysts with him, and they shared a connection like no other. In the trailer, when Priscilla’s father asks why Elvis is so interested in his daughter when he could have any other girl, he simply replies that he’s very fond of Priscilla and that she’s “much more mature than her age.” That line in the trailer was enough to signal the red flags for many viewers, along with other creepy details. Elvis, played by Jacob Elordi, is notably controlling with Priscilla’s appearance. She expresses discomfort over thick makeup and is unsure if she likes her new look, which Elvis shrugs off as a non-issue.
As if to emphasize that Priscilla was much younger than Elvis, the height difference of the actors is greatly exaggerated when compared to their real-life counterparts, and one X (formerly Twitter) user commented that this decision makes for “great visual storytelling.” In this movie, Elvis isn’t the glamorous performer the world came to know and love—he’s just a man who dazzled and groomed Priscilla in her own story.
The movie is based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me, and Priscilla herself expressed faith in Sofia Coppola’s ability to tell her story. Despite Priscilla’s support of Sofia’s work, not everybody was on board with the movie. The Presley Estate refused to give the right to use Elvis songs in the movie because of their protectiveness over the Presley brand. It doesn’t matter, however, because Coppola found other ways to be creative. After all, this isn’t Elvis’ story—it’s all about Priscilla this time.
(featured image: A24)
