Starring Natalie Harborman! Sorry.

Rating: 8/10 (14 January 2017)

Some films simply embody one emotional state that they explore for the duration of their run time. For Jackie, that emotional state is grief. What does grief look like? How does it change a someone? What does it reveal about who they are as a person? The dual function of this film is to both serve as a study of an emotion and the study of a character. That character of course being Jackie Kennedy.
Since it is a character study and a biopic, much of the quality of the film is dependent on Natalie Portman's performance. No need to worry though, she's excellent. She so completely becomes her character. There are so many quirks and nuances in her performance which compliment her scenes of heightened emotional state, that she completely subverts the sort of caricature typical of the genre.
This is only the second Pablo Larraín film I've seen, the first being No. Larraín clearly has a knack for biopics and the way he merges his own footage with original documentary material so seamlessly is an absolute joy to behold. The extra effort to include shots which mirrors film from the sixties does a lot to bridge the gap between rote history lesson of the Kennedy family and the reality of a suffering of a newly widowed mother.
As much praise as I would like to heap on Larraín, the execution isn't perfect. Some shots have a sort of shaky quality to them which is frankly annoying. I understand that in many ways this film is meant to resemble a documentary, and I wouldn't mind it if this sort of thing was only present in the older looking footage, but there are certain instances in which it feels totally inappropriate and purposeless. This sort of decision was a bit more appropriate for No, where the entirety of the film seems to be meant to resemble a documentary. For this type of narrative however, I think that it would have served the film better to be a bit more deliberate about when the camera is going to shake.
Honestly for the amount of space my grievances took up in this review, the issues I have are eclipsed by the accomplishments of this film. This film is methodical in its exploration of a character and what is perhaps the most difficult time in their lives. The raw emotion on display is heartbreaking and the performance is awe inspiring. If you like great acting, check it out. If you're some kind of Kennedy enthusiast, check it out. Mostly everyone should check it out.