Sofia Coppola’s latest film Priscilla will be released in November 2023, and the iconic director has a number of great films to explore first. Priscilla is set to explore the life of Priscilla Presley, the woman who would go on to marry Elvis after meeting him at the age of 14, and how youth, fame, and romance formed a toxic blend in her life. The film is based on Priscilla’s memoir Elvis and Me which was written in 1985. The film has earned positive reception and acclaim so far, receiving a seven-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.
Coppola has been directing since the 1990s, with her first feature, The Virgin Suicides, released in 1999. Her films have a number of notable trademarks, such as beautiful imagery, including costumes and sets, awesome soundtracks, and stories about young, female protagonists reaching emotional turning points in their lives. Coppola’s films often explore thematic ideas over plot-driven narratives and tend to have a slower pacing, with long shots of characters’ faces that allow for contemplation. She’s known for using candid dialogue and exploring characters in a sensitive and emotionally intelligent way that few writers in Hollywood can compare with. Priscilla is an exciting new addition to her filmography.
8 Somewhere (2010)
Somewhere is one of the least known of Sofia Coppola’s films, but it’s actually a beautiful character study, as well as being beautifully shot. The 2010 film is an example of Coppola’s exploration into minimalism, with very little plot in the film, instead focusing on a moment in time for the film’s father and daughter characters. The film has prolonged, melancholic shots of characters, and has very little dialogue. That limited dialogue is exceptional, however, and has a natural feeling very few films possess. Somewhere is an exploration of loneliness and isolation, as well as of the lifestyles of the rich and famous, two qualities it shares with Priscilla.
7 The Beguiled (2017)
The Beguiled is a film set against the backdrop of the Civil War, taking place in an all-female boarding school where an injured soldier seeks refuge. As the soldier is nursed back to health he forms relationships with the women at the school, leading to jealousy and betrayal as sexual tension grows. The film explores how women of different ages and maturities express their frustrated desires. The aspect of the film most similar to Priscilla would be that of Elle Fanning’s character, Alicia, an 18-year-old girl who develops a curiosity and fascination for the older man who’s arrived at her home.
6 Lick The Star (1998)
Lick the Star is a 14-minute short film directed by Sofia Coppola in 1998, showcasing early glimpses of her cinematic style. The film follows a group of four teenage girls and their plot to weaken the boys at their school. Lick the Star is a launching off point for much of the filmmaker’s later work, exploring themes of isolation and anxiety, and telling a story about young girls in a way that feels authentic and natural. For a glimpse at Sofia Coppola’s early work, Lick the Star can be watched on YouTube.
5 The Bling Ring (2013)
The Bling Ring is one of Sofia Coppola’s most divisive films, following a group of teenagers in California who utilized social media in its early days to know when celebrities were out of town so they could rob their homes. The film was based on a true story, and while it received mixed reviews, it serves as an interesting time capsule for the early era of the internet and early 2010s pop culture. The Bling Ring explores the relationship teenagers have with fame, following characters who are obsessed with the idea of celebrity and status, a theme Priscilla will have a chance to take a different approach to.
4 On The Rocks (2020)
Sofia Coppola’s most recent film, On the Rocks, follows a woman named Laura who grows suspicious that her husband is cheating on her. She then sets out with her father on an adventure through New York City to catch her husband in the act. While On the Rocks primarily centers on the relationship between Laura and her father, the vulnerability of relationships is an idea that’s explored through Laura and her husband. This is likely one of the themes that Priscilla will focus on.
3 Lost In Translation (2003)
Lost in Translation is one of Sofia Coppola’s most celebrated films, and the one that earned her an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film follows an aging movie star and a newlywed who meet in their hotel in Tokyo. As two strangers in a foreign country, played brilliantly by Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray, the two characters find a beautiful connection in each other. Lost in Translation is a gorgeous film with a brilliant script about loneliness and isolation, themes that continuously recur in Coppola’s work. Priscilla is set to explore these ideas again in another complex relationship about an older star and a young woman.
2 Marie Antoinette (2006)
Priscilla will be Sofia Coppola’s second biographical film, following Marie Antoinette from 2006. Starring Kirsten Dunst as the titular character, the film explores the lavish life of Marie Antoinette, a teenager who married into becoming the Queen of France during one of the most vulnerable times in the country’s history. Her youthful frivolity and lack of concern became a cause for revolution and later her own execution. Aside from great style and music, which appear to be present in Priscilla as well, Marie Antoinette also explores the idea of a teenage girl being put in an overwhelming spotlight.
1 The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Sofia Coppola’s first film is still considered by many to be some of her best work. Starring Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett, The Virgin Suicides tells the story of a group of five sisters in suburban America who would all ultimately perish on the same night, told from the retrospective view of the neighborhood boys who’ve obsessed over them since they were teenagers. The Virgin Suicides is one of the quintessential films about girlhood and teen romance, something Sofia Coppola has explored in most of her films, and will continue to explore in Priscilla.
