TW: References to coercive control and domestic violence.

Instead of the glitz and glamour I was expecting, the 2024 movie, Priscilla, directed by Sofia Coppola and based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir, Elvis and Me, exposed more of a sad reality.

I have been a life-long Elvis fan. As a young girl, I watched all his corny movies and listened to his music. A little later on in life I learnt about his marriage – to a rather young girl, like myself. It was unsettling, definitely, but I brushed it off as a product of the period. Both my sets of grandparents were ten years apart. That’s fine right? This movie was the tipping point for me. I actually couldn’t wait for it to be over. Not because it was a bad movie, no way could A24 ever produce something rotten. But because it exposed such a gut-wrenchingly sad relationship.

I think the subtle portrayal of toxicity is what made it so realistic, so moving. Like all A24 movies, Priscilla is slow-moving. The film captures moments in time as they are. Priscilla is composed of a montage of hazy vignettes, each one revealing more about the melancholic reality of being in a relationship with Elvis.

The casting of Jacob Elordi as Elvis, and of Cailee Spaney as Priscilla brought another layer of nuance to the film. Elordi captured Elvis’ mannerisms well, his hand movements and even his tone of voice bore a striking resemblance. Elordi’s tall stature compared to Spaney’s small frame enforces how much of a dominating figure Elvis was in both the world, and in their marriage; while Spaney’s wide-eyed gaze conveyed Priscilla’s youthful innocence amongst it all.

Glimpses of the covert control Elvis used were sprinkled throughout scenes of the film. I couldn’t help but feel trapped with Priscilla. Her life is seen to be a lonesome one. Her fluffy white dog is the only one to keep her company at Graceland, the home they shared, but which Elvis infrequently visited. When Priscilla asks Elvis if she can have a part-time job, he declines and asserts that she needs to be there for him when he needs her. In the film he states that Ann-Margret, his co-star in Viva Las Vegas, put career first and her man second—he didn’t like that.

The film exposes how Priscilla was almost like Elvis’ employee, his own personal woman with which he could do whatever he liked. This movie makes you question whether Elvis ever truly loved Priscilla, or if he just loved the idea of having his own real-life barbie doll. There are scenes where Priscilla has to buy the dresses he chooses, and is practically forced to dye her hair black to suit his liking. This ‘look’ which Elvis creates for her acts as a metaphor for the level of control he wields over her throughout the film. When she makes the decision to finally leave Elvis, she is seen driving her own car out of Graceland, with her hair returned to its natural brown, and with Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ playing in the background. She is leaving Elvis for her own life, and for the sake of her freedom, not out of hate for him.

It’s important to remember that at the end of the day, this movie is merely an interpretation of their relationship. No one will ever really truly know what occurred during their time together, and frankly it’s none of our business. But from watching the film, it's impossible not to form an opinion. Seeing that Priscilla herself was executive producer on the film, the collection of memories shared by this movie suggest that Elvis may not have been the most respectful partner. The movie itself is truthful and raw. There is no warning for Elvis’ outbursts, not even a subtle change of camera angle. The most daunting scene is when he is speaking to Priscilla in hushed tones, when suddenly his voice becomes manic and actions rageful. The frame doesn’t change—it is almost too real. Too honest. There are no cinematic embellishments to distract us or to take refuge in. This style of cinematography highlights the idea that we as viewers are peeking into the most intimate moments of Priscilla’s life. We are forced to bear witness in shock and discomfort just like Priscilla had to—with no cinematic reprieve. But this is not to say that the film was plain—it is through this very simplicity that the raw emotions of the characters touch the audience.

After watching the film, I don't think it was made with the intention of conveying a particular message. Rather, it gives Priscilla a voice in her own story, one which we have heard about in tabloids and headlines, but never thought about from her perspective—until now.