Jackie's story is heartbreaking and powerful, but I don't think this film manages to capture that. The acting and scenes are too awkward, and the script doesn't dig deep enough. But visually, it is ethereal.

What is Jackie about?

Following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console her children, and define her husband's historic legacy. (from IMDB)

My review of Jackie

The film is basically a select biography focusing on the events from JFK's assassination to his funeral and how Jackie was affected by them. It's also got a mesmerising, dreamlike quality to it - I half expected Jackie to wake up at the end and say it was all an illusion.

The shaky camera work and intensely intimate angles offer a very tender look at Jackie. They're trying for intimate, and the film does feel rather personal. They seem determined to get up close with Jackie and expose her emotions and reactions following the assassination.

The use of colour is stunning. The scenography is thoughtful, and the costumes are elegant and striking. The music is atmospheric and reminiscent of the time period as well, and instills a gorgeous nostalgic parallel to Jackie's journey.

The pacing is messy, and the story's muddled. I also don't think the start of the movie captured the story in the right place, nor did I like any of the scenes between Jackie and the journalist. They feel awkward and forced, and I don't think they worked at all. And is it just me, or did those journalist scenes outside look green-screened? Both actors looked cut out of the picture and removed. It’s poorly done either way.

Jackie's story is gut-wrenching. Her ordeal was horrific, and the film brought tears to my eyes. Natalie Portman looks so fragile and lonely in the role, and I ached to give her a hug.

But I wanted more. I wanted more of Jackie's back story, more of her history......just more about her. I feel as if the film skims the surface and gives us an haunting - moving - but shallow view of a woman whose story is truly compelling and dynamic. Or perhaps the movie just focuses on the wrong aspects of her life? I got a delicate and painful view of Camelot, but no real substance. The film gives us deep visual intimacy, but little in the way of information.

The acting isn't extraordinary. Natalie Portman's "Jackie voice" does not work, and she comes across silly and childish at times. Her acting's solid but not amazing, and she looks too breakable and naive to be a convincing Jackie. I felt for her character, but I didn't love her in the role.

Portman's also awkward, especially at the beginning, I couldn't help but cringe at the way she delivers her lines. She just looks uncomfortable in Jackie's skin, and some scenes are excruciatingly awkward.

Peter Sarsgaard looks nothing like Bobby Kennedy, but his acting's decent. His chemistry with Natalie is beautiful and genuine, and that repeatedly holds the movie together.

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