Jackie – A Very Brief Period in American History

Rating: 7/10 (24 January 2017)

This film is based on actual events and follows the 7 days following the assassination of JFK.
Jackie Kennedy was an elegant woman, an American style icon and probably the first media celebrity. The film begins with Jackie being interviewed by a reporter from 'Life' magazine, he is exploring life in The Whitehouse and a minute by minute account of the assassination.
The film is a character study, it compares Jackie 'The First Lady' vs Jackie 'the woman/wife'. It doesn't focus on the assassination but more on the way Jackie deals with the consequences and the public reaction.
One scene that really stuck in my mind was where Jackie is travelling in the hearse, she is speaking to the driver, she names other presidents who were also assassinated and she asks what they remember about their achievements. Jackie realises her husband hadn't achieved very much during his half term, so she decides that she needs to desperately create an important legacy! My wife strangely disliked this film, everything about the actual character which makes me think Natalie Portman must have really nailed it.
Natalie Portman is convincing as the grief stricken widow, and this film is a good showcase for her acting talents. If you agreed with the Oscar for her role in Black Swan then this is also a dead cert.
A very well made film IMO with a powerful and eerie score.