---
title: "Jackie"
year: 2016
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/jackie"
fi1m_id: "jackie"
imdb_id: "tt1619029"
tmdb_id: 376866
wikidata_id: "Q22350767"
fi1m_score: 80
critics_score: 75
critics_reviews: 28
published: "2026-09-27T08:20:18.872676+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-27T08:20:19.925077+00:00"
region: "IL"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jackie (2016)

Directed by Pablo Larraín · 1h 40m · IFRB הותר לכל · Drama

## Identity

Jackie

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/jackie
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** jackie
- **IMDb ID:** tt1619029
- **TMDB ID:** 376866
- **Wikidata ID:** Q22350767
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1619029/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/376866, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22350767

**Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 75 from 28 reviews

*In a sentence:* One week, one pink suit, and a string section that keeps sliding off its own notes

> Pablo Larraín’s film about the week after Dallas is a close, unsettling portrait of a widow deciding what the country will remember, and Natalie Portman carries it. Mica Levi’s score does the rest; the priest scenes are where it starts explaining itself.

## Synopsis

A week after her husband is shot in Dallas, Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman) receives a journalist (Billy Crudup) and agrees to tell him what happened, on condition that she decides what he prints. Between cigarettes she goes back over the days in between: the flight home with the body, Lyndon B. Johnson (John Carroll Lynch) sworn in aboard the plane, her brother-in-law Robert Kennedy (Peter Sarsgaard) taking charge, and her assistant Nancy Tuckerman (Greta Gerwig) fielding the calls. She wants a funeral on foot through Washington, like Lincoln’s. The new administration and the Secret Service want something quieter. Cut against all this is the televised tour of the White House she gave as First Lady, smiling for the cameras.

## Review

Pablo Larraín’s *Jackie* covers about a week. A few days after her husband is shot in Dallas, Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman) sits down with a journalist (Billy Crudup) who wants the whole story and is told which parts he may print. From there Noah Oppenheim’s script goes where her mind goes: to the motorcade, the flight home, the arguments over the funeral, and back to the televised tour of the White House she gave as First Lady. It is a hundred minutes about a woman deciding what a country will be allowed to remember, and it is among the better films of its kind and much the oddest.

Portman carries it. The voice comes first, that soft finishing-school murmur, and for a few minutes we thought the whole performance would be an impersonation. It is not. Watch her on the television tour, smiling and glancing aside for approval between sentences, then watch her in the interview, dry-eyed, smoking, correcting a man who thought he was asking the questions. It is the same woman, and Portman lets you see how much work it costs her to be either version.

The hardest scene to watch is on the plane home. Jackie goes into the washroom and wipes her husband’s blood from her face, then her neck, then her hair. There is no music. Portman does it methodically, the way you would clean up a spill, and it was the method that got to us rather than the blood. We had seen the pink suit in photographs. We had not seen anyone treat the afternoon as a mess to be dealt with. Madeline Fontaine’s copy of the suit is exact down to the stains, and Larraín keeps her in it a long time.

Stéphane Fontaine’s soft, grainy image is close enough to old television that when Sebastián Sepúlveda cuts in real archive footage you cannot always find the join. Jean Rabasse rebuilt the White House rooms and lit them like a stage set, which is right, because they were one. Sepúlveda cuts the tour against the widow walking the same corridors at night, drinking, trying on gowns, with the *Camelot* record playing, and it is the best stretch. Over it sits Mica Levi’s score, strings that start a note and slide off as if the players had lost their nerve. It is more unnerving still in rooms this pretty.

Peter Sarsgaard’s Robert Kennedy is angry, tired and aware he has just become less important. Greta Gerwig’s Nancy Tuckerman says little and is the only person Jackie does not perform for. John Carroll Lynch and Beth Grant, as the Johnsons, hover on the plane, unsure whether to comfort her or take over, and Richard E. Grant’s Bill Walton is on hand to argue about the funeral. Caspar Phillipson’s President has a few minutes and looks so like the man it is faintly disturbing.

What does not work is the priest. John Hurt plays a clergyman Jackie walks with on the grounds, and the scenes exist so she can ask what it was all for and he can tell her what the film thinks. Hurt is good, gentle and unimpressed. The dialogue is not; each time the film cuts to them it stops and explains itself. The interview has the same problem, more mildly. Crudup’s journalist is there to have the Camelot line said to him, and the script underlines it twice. And the last quarter-hour ends three or four times before it stops.

Larraín treats the whole legend with suspicion, keeps asking who is arranging it, and that is what most critics liked and a few found cold. We were not cold. Fontaine’s camera sits closer to her face than good manners allow, for longer than is comfortable; we think that is the idea.

It is a 15, for a few seconds of Dallas that Larraín does not soften. Watch it with the sound up. The score is doing at least half the work, and it deserves to be heard.

*Fi1m score 80, published 27 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics admire Jackie, and the praise centres almost entirely on Natalie Portman. Critics call her performance layered, controlled and physically precise, with particular attention to the voice and to the way she holds Jackie Kennedy’s steel and fragility in the same frame. Mica Levi’s score is the other constant, singled out for tying the public image-making to the private grief. Several critics also welcome Pablo Larraín’s decision to abandon the conventional biopic for something fractured and intimate.

The disagreement is about whether that fracturing works. The dissenters call the film erratic, incoherent or rudderless, and fault the jumbled timeline for creating distance; Sight and Sound finds it remote and small-scaled, The New Yorker intrusive and often absurd, The Ringer unable to make its ideas cohere. The spread is wide, from full marks to the low thirties. Even the harshest reviews keep praising Portman and Levi; the quarrel is with the film around them.

## Straight answers

**Is Jackie worth watching?**

*Jackie* is worth watching for anyone who wants a close, unsettling portrait of a widow deciding what a country will remember, and we scored it 80. Natalie Portman carries it and Mica Levi's sliding string score does much of the rest. The scenes with John Hurt's priest stop the film to explain itself, and the last quarter-hour ends several times before it stops.

**How long is Jackie, and what is it rated?**

*Jackie* runs 1h 40m and is rated הותר לכל by the IFRB in Israel. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Jackie in Israel?**

*Jackie* is not on any streaming or rental service in Israel at the moment. It is available in 26 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Jackie, and is it suitable for children?**

*Jackie* is a UK 15 and a US R, not a film for children. There is little violence, but Pablo Larraín does not soften the few seconds of Dallas, and a long scene on the plane home shows Jackie methodically wiping her husband's blood from her face, neck and hair. Older teenagers can take it; the squeamish should know that scene is coming.

**How does Jackie compare to The Queen?**

*Jackie* is the stranger and more unsettling of the two, while [*The Queen*](https://film.one/film/the-queen) is the funnier and more humane. Both follow a woman in the week after a famous death deciding what the public may see, but Stephen Frears keeps his disagreements tidy and Pablo Larraín treats the whole legend with suspicion. Choose *The Queen* for warmth and Helen Mirren, *Jackie* for a performance that costs more to watch.

**What should I watch after Jackie?**

After *Jackie*, try [*The Queen*](https://film.one/film/the-queen) (2006, Fi1m 84): Another week after a famous death, another woman deciding what the public gets to see. Then [*No*](https://film.one/film/no-country-for-old-men) (2012, Fi1m 91): Larraín on how a country was sold a story, shot on shabby period video; and [*Under the Skin*](https://film.one/film/under-the-skin) (2013, Fi1m 81): Where Mica Levi’s sliding strings came from, attached to something far stranger than Washington.

### Reviews we read (28)

- **Little White Lies**, Sophie Monks Kaufman (3/5/4): Kaufman finds the film a gorgeous, layered portrait of Jackie, praising its intelligence and emotional restraint. She singles out Portman’s performance and the striking images that capture Jackie’s carefully managed public image. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/jackie)
- **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (5/5): The review is strongly positive, saying Natalie Portman triumphs in the lead role. It singles out her performance as the film’s standout strength. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/jackie)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (95/100, inferred): Rooney finds the film an emotionally shattering, perceptive portrait of grief, legacy and political maneuvering. He particularly praises Natalie Portman’s layered, incandescent performance as Jackie Kennedy. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/jackie-926210/)
- **Evening Standard**, David Sexton (90/100, inferred): Sexton calls the film an astonishing and unexpected achievement. He singles out Natalie Portman’s riveting performance and Mica Levi’s score for praise. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/toronto-film-festival-2016-jackie-review-extraordinary-achievement-far-from-ordinary-kennedy-biopic-a3343486.html)
- **IndieWire**, Ben Croll (A-): Croll calls the film a bracing, distinctive triumph, though it falters somewhat toward the end. He especially praises Natalie Portman’s layered, physically expressive performance as Jackie. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/jackie-review-pablo-larrian-jackie-kennedy-biopic-1201724093/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): Turan finds the film transporting and transfixing, praising its bold, emotionally effective approach to a familiar tragedy. He singles out Natalie Portman’s convincing, nuanced performance as Jackie and her collaboration with Pablo Larraín. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-jackie-review-20161128-story.html)
- **The Guardian**, Nigel M Smith (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a singular, uncompromising work and concludes that it is great cinema. Portman’s intimate, vivid portrayal of Jackie Kennedy is singled out for praise, especially her voice and emotional vulnerability. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/sep/13/jackie-review-natalie-portman-kennedy-jfk)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Brian Tallerico (3.5/4): Tallerico gives the film a positive review, praising Natalie Portman’s performance. He also singles out Larraín’s intimate, fractured portrait of Jackie Kennedy. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/jackie-2016)
- **Variety**, Guy Lodge (88/100, inferred): Lodge finds the film a daring, richly constructed portrait of grief and legacy, though its intimate approach may unsettle viewers expecting a conventional biopic. He particularly praises Natalie Portman’s layered, technically precise performance. [Read](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/jackie-review-natalie-portman-1201853716/)
- **Empire**, Olly Richards (85/100, inferred): Richards finds Jackie an insightful biopic that brings its subject vividly to life. He especially praises Natalie Portman’s nuanced performance, which conveys Jackie’s steel and fragility. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/jackie-review/)
- **Radio Times** (85/100, inferred): The review presents the film as an incisive and memorable portrait. It singles out Natalie Portman’s performance as towering. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/jackie-review-a-towering-performance-from-star-natalie-portman/)
- **Total Film**, Neil Smith (4/5): The review praises the film as an unconventional, moving portrait, crowned by Natalie Portman’s performance. It also singles out Mica Levi’s sublime score, while noting that a conversation with a priest slows the pace. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/jackie-review/)
- **The New York Times** (65/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint are unavailable. The URL identifies a New York Times review of the matching film. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/01/movies/jackie-review-natalie-portman.html)
- **Screen Daily**, Jonathan Romney (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a Venice review, but the critic’s verdict is not visible. No praise or complaint can be determined from the accessible text. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/jackie-venice-review/5109156.article)
- **Vulture**, David Edelstein (60/100, inferred): Edelstein finds the film hard to love but admires its brittle, ambivalent quality. He praises Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Jackie’s mix of shyness and slyness, while finding her voice unnatural in some scenes. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2016/11/movie-review-jackie.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Christopher Gray (2/4): Gray calls the film striking but ultimately erratic and rudderless. He praises Mica Levi’s score for bridging the gap between Jackie’s self-conscious image-making and her raw grief. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/jackie/)
- **Sight and Sound**, Tom Charity (35/100, inferred): Charity finds the film interesting but emotionally remote and disappointingly small-scaled. He praises Mica Levi’s tremulous score for expressing Jackie’s inner turmoil in vivid White House sequences. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/jackie-review-portrait-icon-under-shadow)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (35/100, inferred): Lane finds the film intrusive, presumptuous, and often absurd, though it may gratify viewers drawn to the breaking of formal façades. He praises Natalie Portman’s watchful, tremulous performance and her precise capture of Jackie Kennedy’s voice. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/12/05/jackie-and-allied)
- **Consequence**, Allison Shoemaker (95/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a stunning, unsentimental reinvention of the biopic. She especially praises Natalie Portman’s complex, raw performance as Jackie Kennedy. [Read](https://consequence.net/2016/12/film-review-jackie/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (90/100, inferred): Hammond finds the film haunting and calls Portman’s performance transformative and unforgettable. He also praises the production and costume design for vividly recreating the Camelot era. [Read](https://deadline.com/2016/12/jackie-review-natalie-portman-jacqueline-kennedy-1201863884/)
- **Den of Geek**, Edward Douglas (4.5/5): The critic finds the film an exceptional, artistically ambitious portrait of grief and history. He especially praises Natalie Portman’s performance, alongside the screenplay, visuals, and Mica Levi’s score. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/jackie-review/)
- **NME** (★★★★): The review finds the film riveting and heart-rending. It singles out Natalie Portman’s tour-de-force performance as the film’s lifeblood. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/jackie-film-review-1949477)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B): Goldberg finds the film an engaging, complicated portrait of Jackie Kennedy, though its succession of endings blunts the finale. He especially praises Natalie Portman’s layered performance, which balances Jackie’s strength and vulnerability. [Read](https://collider.com/jackie-review-natalie-portman/)
- **Paste**, Dom Sinacola (7.7/10): Sinacola finds the film disorienting and monumentally surreal, though its script’s explanations of myth-making feel overly obvious. He praises Natalie Portman’s finely controlled performance and the sumptuous, tactile imagery that makes Jackie’s grief feel immediate. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/jackie/jackie)
- **The Playlist** (70/100, inferred): The headline signals a positive view of the film as a deeply human portrait. The page content is blocked, so no specific element of the review can be confirmed as singled out for praise. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/pablo-larrains-devastatingly-human-portrait-of-jackie-natalie-portman-review-20161202/)
- **The Wrap** (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film impressionistic but ultimately incoherent, with Portman’s portrayal only intermittently convincing. The funeral-planning sequences are singled out as especially illuminating, while the fractured timeline is faulted for creating emotional distance. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/jackie-review-natalie-portman-kennedy/)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (35/100, inferred): Kermode finds the film more gloss than substance, though its cultivated emptiness may be deliberate. She praises Larraín’s precise framing and elegant sets for reinforcing its theme of artificiality. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/jackie-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
- **The Ringer**, K. Austin Collins (30/100, inferred): Collins finds the film disappointing, arguing that its competing ideas about Jackie’s public persona and private self never come together. He praises the White House tour sequences for showing her carefully constructing her public image, but faults the film’s fussy structure and melodramatic portrayal. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2016/12/01/movies/jackie-movie-review-662b205e4111)

## Details

- **Director:** Pablo Larraín
- **Director:** Pablo Larraín
- **Writer:** Noah Oppenheim
- **Cinematography:** Stéphane Fontaine
- **Editor:** Sebastián Sepúlveda
- **Music:** Mica Levi
- **Production design:** Jean Rabasse
- **Costume design:** Madeline Fontaine
- **Producer:** Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin, Juan de Dios Larraín
- **Cast:** Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy; Peter Sarsgaard as Robert Kennedy; Greta Gerwig as Nancy Tuckerman; Billy Crudup as The Journalist; John Hurt as The Priest; Richard E. Grant as Bill Walton; Caspar Phillipson as John Fitzgerald Kennedy; Beth Grant as Lady Bird Johnson
- **Runtime:** 1h 40m
- **Certificate (IFRB):** הותר לכל
- **Release (Israel):** 16 February 2017
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Budget:** $9 million
- **Box office:** $14 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9pW3B8Ycc4

## Where to watch in Israel

Not streaming, renting or buying in Israel at the last check.

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, JP, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PT, SE, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2017: Best Actress (nominated); Best Costume Design (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Queen* (2006), Fi1m 84: Another week after a famous death, another woman deciding what the public gets to see. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-queen.md)
- *Spencer* (2021): Larraín does it again with Diana, one Christmas, and even less patience for protocol.
- *No* (2012), Fi1m 91: Larraín on how a country was sold a story, shot on shabby period video. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/no-country-for-old-men.md)
- *Under the Skin* (2013), Fi1m 81: Where Mica Levi’s sliding strings came from, attached to something far stranger than Washington. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/under-the-skin.md)
- *Marie Antoinette* (2006), Fi1m 74: Coppola’s queen in her rooms, shoes and pastries first, the guillotine kept off screen. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/marie-antoinette.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/jackie