There won't be another Camelot.

With awards season in full bloom and Hollywood hot on the scent of freshly caught Oscars the cinematic world of early 2017 is filled to the brim with heavy dramas, slice of life pieces and the customary biopic! And it is this later category that our brave Cinenauts find themselves exploring the depths of today.

But first let’s take a little step back to the year that was 1963, The Angel’s were smashing the airwaves with My Boyfriend’s Back, Beatle mop tops were king, and the world was hypnotised by the startling new adventures of Doctor Who! But as our bristling Timelord hit the tubes, across the pond the USA was reeling as one of it’s most promising and promiscuous presidents was cut down in his prime. And as the eyes of the world turned towards this tragic affair no one would have expected the legacy that was about to be forged.

Directed by Pablo Larraín and Staring Natalie Portman in the title role, 2016’s Jackie is an entrancing study into the life of whom some call America’s first Queen. 

Told through interview, and supported by frequent flashbacks leading up to and after the assassination, Larraín constructs a compelling account of how the death of a president is not only a loss of a leader but the loss of a man. If there was one thing that surprised me about this film was just how easily Larraín manages to avoid having JFK on screen at all. In the entire 140 minutes the commander in chief is on screen for less than 5 and his face even less so, forcing the narrative to focus solely on Jackie and the momentous ordeal she must face.

Portman puts in a performance like I’ve not witnessed before, wholly embodying the first lady, from her sense of poise, to quiet anger, and even nailing the raspy Mid-Atlantic accent, something which puzzled potential audiences upon first trailer release but becomes so significant of the person she portrays it’s almost as if we have been taken back to the event itself. And ultimately this is the effect Larraín is painstakingly attempting to achieve, splicing real archive footage with live action scenery and even going as far as shooting on super 16mm film stock to recreate the look of the time.

Overall this film is absolutely gorgeous, from it’s incredibly personal cinematography that captures every moment unashamedly, to it’s pinpoint accurate costuming that leaps off the screen, to even it’s choice of soundtrack with exceptional use of Richard Burton’s rendition of “Camelot” from the titular musical of 1960. Every aspect has been meticulously selected to stage this story as stylishly and realistically as possible, and for that effort it has easily become one of my favourites of the year.