Every once in a while, there are one or two movies that emerge at the fall festivals with no set release date, only to wow crowds and critics, and are then rushed into the Oscar season. This year, that crown belongs to “Jackie.” Pablo Larraín‘s movie was a bit of an unknown quantity heading into Venice and TIFF, but after a strong reception at both festivals, Fox Searchlight is hoping they have new player for the months ahead (particularly now that “The Birth Of A Nation” feels like a big question mark).
Natalie Portman takes what is reportedly a commanding lead role in Larraín’s (“The Club,” “Neruda“) new film, one that also counts Darren Aronofsky among the producers (he was going to direct at one point). The drama has a simple premise: one that gives a portrait of Jackie Onassis unlike anything we’ve seen before. Here’s the official synopsis:
JACKIE is a searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, then Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (Natalie Portman). JACKIE places us in her world during the days immediately following her husband’s assassination. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a psychological portrait of the First Lady as she struggles to maintain her husband’s legacy and the world of “Camelot” that they created and loved so well.
Co-starring Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, John Hurt, and Peter Sarsgaard, “Jackie” opens on December 2nd.
