Riding along in the backseat of the presidential car, Natalie Portman’s former First Lady gazes out at the people lining the streets – archival footage wonderfully superimposed on the actress’ face – in today’s striking, yet sombre new teaser trailer for Jackie.
That’s a melancholic tone that pervades each and every frame of this new snippet, as Portman’s grieving widow deals with the assassination that shook the world. But although JFK’s killing serves as the basis for Pablo Larraín’s non-traditional biopic, Jackie is very much a Natalie Portman vehicle through and through, and it’s little wonder why there has been so much awards chatter coming out of TIFF last month, even if our own review criticized some elements of the film built around Portman.
Dubbed the “most unknown of the known women of the 20th century,” Portman’s delicate, nuanced and potentially Oscar-worthy portrayal of Mrs. Kennedy even shines through in this brief teaser. In under two minutes, the actress ranges from elegance to sophistication, intelligence to a wounded, fragile widow, particularly in the scenes leading up to JFK’s funeral. Larraín has stated numerous times in the past that Natalie Portman was the only actress he considered the part – now that Fox Searchlight is beginning to fire up Jackie‘s marketing campaign, we’re beginning to see why.
Jackie, also starring Greta Gerwig, Peter Sarsgaard, Max Casella, Beth Grant and John Hurt, has been locked for an awards-friendly release on December 9, and though he flirted with the idea of taking the reins himself, Black Swan helmer Darren Aronofsky is one of the many producers on board. Below, you’ll find the striking new one-sheet.
