Special Screening during the BFI Film Festival
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to attend as many events as possible for my last year of study in London. This is why I jumped at the opportunity of being able to attend the special screening of Priscilla during the BFI Film Festival in October 2023. I have always been obsessed with going to the cinema, going every single week last year since I was able to get tickets for £5 as a student.
On the 28th of September, when I randomly logged in on the BFI website and saw that there was one seat left in the entire room, I booked it straight away! The special screening took place at the Royal Festival Hall on the 9th of October. It was my first time attending a movie premiere and so I was unsure of what the protocol was. I went with no expectations and was happily surprised. I was able to walk on the red carpet in order to enter the cinema which was a really unique and fun experience. I entered the screening room and found my seat.
Suddenly, the room went dark and we were welcomed by a member of staff who prepared a speech about the festival and the movie itself. Priscilla is a 2023 American biographical drama film written, directed, and produced by Sofia Coppola, based on the 1985 memoir, Elvis and Me, by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon. It follows the life of Priscilla Presley (played by Cailee Spaeny) and her relationship with Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi).
She then welcomed the main actress of the movie, Cailee Spaeny, on stage. She was wearing a beautiful dress, similar to what her character wears in the movie, and read a note written by the director, Sofia Coppola, who was unable to attend. Jacob Elordi did not attend the premiere either, which did not surprise me since he did not attend the international premiere of Saltburn a few days before.
After a short interview with Cailee, the movie started. The only thing I have to say is that I absolutely loved it! It went by so quickly that I was left with the desire for more at the end of the screening. Do I recommend this movie? 100%. Cailee’s performance was absolutely stunning, and Sofia Coppola did a brilliant job as the director. It was a beautiful movie of both performance and visuals. I will definitely watch it again once it is released in UK cinemas.
I learnt more about Priscilla Presley’s life and what she had to go through while being married to Elvis. From passion to abuse, this was extremely well portrayed by Cailee and Jacob. We follow the life of a young girl infatuated with a famous man who does everything to be with him, and the factors and issues that led to their divorce. The ending was absolutely perfect and made me think about the movie for a few days after the screening. The feminist take on the movie was brilliant and the fact that Cailee was able to meet Priscilla to learn more about her life, made the performance even more emotional and real.