By Enitan Abdultawab

My life was his life. He had to be happy

Once again, the scenes of 1978 are screened again. If it were possible for the dead to yearn for a new life, Elvis Persley must be smiling at the coyness of love in his grave. Elvis Persley lived a life completely void of control from all spectres of marital elements. Stacking up with little, shy and innocent Priscilla, all Elvis gave away was love – love which later morphed into a hollow, condescending space for the little miss bride as opposed to the large space which Elvis enjoyed as one of American’s biggest singer and actor.

Practically, Sofia Coppola has produced a box where we all can now pick different bits of stories, theories, and sides that have been attached to the talk of Elvis and Priscilla Presley when they both showboated in their love cabins. It is interesting to see Priscilla Presley herself talk about the love saga when she showed up in Venice for the Venice Film Festival where the movie was premiered. There was a standing ovation for Priscilla Presley as she got hooked up emotionally with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Synopsis

While reminiscing the days, she said, “Elvis would pour his heart out to me in every way in Germany: his fears, his hopes, the loss of his mother — which he never, ever got over. And I was the person who really, really sat there to listen and to comfort him. That was really our connection. Even though I was 14, I was actually a little bit older in life — not in numbers. That was the attraction. People think, ‘Oh, it was sex.’ No, it wasn’t. I never had sex with him. He was very kind, very soft, very loving, but he also respected the fact I was only 14 years old. We were more in line in thought, and that was our relationship…”

The background of the story is all-relative – 14-year-old Priscilla trapped in a love embrace with military bachelor Elvis Persley despite her parents’ insistence to think it twice, Elvis blaming destiny on how death snatched his mother from him, a little world with a lot of limits drawn upon Priscilla and at last, divorce.

Thematic Allure

In Priscilla, Sofia Coppola paints a picture of the journey of love and answers the questions of the age and time of love. In response, Cailey Spaeny and Jacob Elordi play the roles of Priscilla and Elvis respectively and shine bright in their artistic allure to showcase what viewers need to see. As already known, Elvis only approached Priscilla because he needed her to consolidate the “feminine” feeling and care and affection that he missed from his mother’s death.

Priscilla Presley’s role as the movie’s executive producer may have influenced Coppola’s decision; opinions may differ on whether she should have been so kind about this cancel-worthy incident. The unsavory connection, though, is an intriguing variation from the common stereotype of a reckless superstar with a young, naive lover. Elvis provides Priscilla with pills to help her stay awake and fall asleep, but instead of plunging her into a world of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, he invites her to live in his home in Memphis, Tennessee, where he expects her to continue her education, dress modestly, and join him for evenings out at the roller rink.

However, there appears that Coppola leaves the judgement unto every viewer’s discretion. After all, love can exist in any vacuum, depending on the partners’ stance and interests. However, it can be deduced that she has drawn an unemotional, impartial portrayal of Priscilla as a passive observer of her own circumstances rather than turning her life story into an overly cautionary tale or a feminist fable that empowers women.

The Take-home

Even though the movie may have benefited from a little bit more dialogue and action, it’s still a sympathetic tribute to the kind of individual who typically plays a supporting role in biopics. It suggests, in a subtle way, how a thing can be right in many respects while still being just wrong enough to prevent you from ever feeling at ease. Even in a cozy home with a loving husband and a large group of his friends and fans, one can still feel not loved.

It’s indeed an eventful adventure for Sofia Coppola, Priscilla and the casts. The movie will be available on October 27.