Jackie

Rating: 7/10 (29 March 2018)

Based on the life of Jacqueline Kennedy (played by Natalie Portman), this film portrays her response after the 1963 assassination of her husband John via an interview for Life magazine and flashbacks.
The movie's first half is superb. The re-enactment of the most remembered moments during that period are chilling and even frightening in their authenticity. Portman (who is consistently solid throughout the film) is moving during an emotional outburst during the interview.
The second half is still good though less strong than the first. There are too many timelines happening simultaneously. While this is never confusing, this approach prevents the viewer from getting emotionally involved in what is happening. As soon as things build up, we are switched to another timeline. Among the more moving scenes in this half are those where Kennedy expresses a loss in faith with her priest.
While Portman is always riveting as the main character (she even impersonates Kennedy's voice), the film spends too much time on her and her alone. A little more exposure of other characters might have added some necessary variety. One such character is Rose Kennedy, JFK's mother. At the time of the tragedy, Rose would have been experiencing the enormous grief of outliving a child for the third time (she would experience it again five years later). In "Jackie", she is seen only briefly as a mother-in-law with conflicting views of John's burial. More depth could have been explored here.
Indeed, "Jackie" has its flaws but they are thankfully outnumbered by its riches. Director Pablo Larrain succeeds in creating a somber mood throughout the film aided by the haunting music of Mica Levi.