Priscilla (2023) : In the King’s Shadows
Written by Farrel Zaki (Kru’22)
When this film reached the 60-minute mark, I was really not sure what this film was trying to convey. Is this film just trying to tell a complicated love story? Is it the harsh truth about being in love with fame and success? I don’t think it’s any of that. There is so much more to what lies behind the life of the King of Rock and Roll. Priscilla is a meditative exploration of the woman behind Elvis Presley, embodying Sofia Coppola’s signature theme of isolation and solitude with the complexities of a young girl entangled in the influence of a larger-than-life figure.
This film opens up with 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) sitting alone in a diner, working on her homework. A man approaches her and asks her to attend Elvis Presley’s (Jacob Elordi) party. This one moment alone will change Priscilla’s life forever. She met the famous singer, and they immediately connected with each other.
The two went on a relationship over time, and I would not put it into detail, but the point is that they loved each other. As time passes, the film highlights Priscilla’s gradual transformation as she navigates the complexities of fame, love, and self-discovery. Her journey from a wide-eyed teenager swept away by the whirlwind romance with Elvis to a woman who leaves the echo of Elvis’ shadow behind, stepping into the boundless possibilities of her own future.
Despite Priscilla and Elvis’s deep connection and love, let’s talk about the elephant in the room — their 10-year age gap. Priscilla was just in the ninth grade when he met Elvis (he was 24 at that time) at the party. Their love is indeed genuine, but I’m not here to talk about the romance part of their love. Elvis, an already-established star, has already experienced much of life, fame, and the complexities that came with it. In contrast, Priscilla was still a teenage girl trying to juggle high school while also maintaining a romantic relationship with the King of Rock and Roll himself. This raises many eyebrows as controversy arises that Elvis Presley, one of the most iconic human beings in history, has hidden a dark secret that few people notice.
From the film’s narrative approach, Sofia Coppola contrasts Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022), which depicted the superstar biopic with a more extensive, shiny, and dazzling narrative portrayal, providing a 10-minute screen time for Priscilla, highlighting how small Priscilla is to Elvis. Without hesitation, Sofia Coppola delivers Priscilla more muted, quiet, and mature, which dismisses the widely known Elvis mythos for a more focused exploration of the objectification of a young woman. Priscilla is groomed and carefully fused into Elvis Presley’s perfect fame story. From a blushing schoolgirl in Germany to hanging at Graceland, Priscilla got pulled into Elvis’s crazy life. She got loads of gifts, and with all the fame madness, she kept switching up her hair — all amid Elvis’s celebrity scene. Coppola’s focus on the alluring surface of wealth and fame feels like a betrayal. The loneliness and solitude speak louder when Cailee Spaeny’s performance delivers so much silence through her expressions, creating a portrait of isolation and solitude.
The funny thing about this film is that its midpoint is Priscilla’s high school graduation. I heard Coppola’s voice loud and clear, and I think this is what she was trying to say. There are so many subtle and smart ways that Coppola brings me into her loneliness, innocence, control, the walls built around her, nailing, and sitting in every piece of Graceland furniture, and the gifts that constantly surround her that lack any semblance of life. The film really captures how empty her life is. The brand-new shiny car she never touches, and her graduation felt strange without high school prom or parties to dance. Her youth was robbed just to be prepped into a behind-the-scenes world of fame and success of a rockstar.
The film also digs into how messed up their relationship is, showing this crazy mix of love and a growing power imbalance. Elvis being all controlling, the constant pressure to fit in, and the always-present paparazzi mess with what used to be a fairy tale romance. Priscilla’s loneliness turns into her quietly standing up for herself, wanting to do her own thing and be in control. That eventually makes her step out of Elvis’s shadow and into her spotlight. I think that is the ultimate impact. That long-ass age gap with celebrity relationships doesn’t work out, huh?
In the film’s final minutes, Priscilla completely detaches herself from Elvis, fame, and, most importantly, his shadows. But it is shrouded by ambiguity. There’s no triumphant departure from Graceland, no decisive resolution. Instead, within her quiet strength and emerging self-awareness, Priscilla discovers a resilience beyond loneliness. As she packed her things and said goodbyes and hugs to all the servants who had become her family, a particular song played (I Will Always Love You by Dolly Parton). She drove her car in silence through the long road to the gate of Elvis Mansion and concluded the film in sober silence. The ambiguity continues.
And I Will Always Love You
Bittersweet Memories
That’s All I Am Taking With Me
She drove.
And I Will Always Love You
