Parents' Guide to Priscilla

This chewy, conversation-inspiring biopic of Priscilla Beaulieu would be more aptly titled Mrs. Presley. Because it's not about who Priscilla is originally or who she becomes later, but rather who she was in the 14 years that she was in a romantic relationship with the world's biggest rock star. Priscilla isn't about her personality, but rather how it was shaped -- and perhaps shuttered -- through a controlling relationship that had incredible highs but ultimately limited her agency to the point that she wasn't even supposed to have an opinion. The poodle puppy that Elvis gives her as a gift is symbolic of how he sees and treats her: She's an accessory pet, a companion who complements his image but needs to be trained and kept in line. Like the heroine of a Grimm story, she's kept in the palace under the thumb of a domineering man, unable to forge her own way or develop her own identity. And she ultimately realizes that the fantasy of being rock-and-roll royalty is no fairy tale.

While it's perhaps not the breast-thumper of female empowerment that some women (at least this one) might have been hoping for, Priscilla is an unvarnished primer for what grooming looks like. All of the signs are present and accounted for in Elvis' behavior. The film helps viewers understand why the parent of a 14-year-old girl would ever allow her to go to parties, date, and move in with someone 10 years her senior. And there's no way not to understand how a ninth grader would quickly fall under the spell of the world's biggest, most singularly successful, and most sexually alluring celebrity of the era. As he chips away at her voice, reducing her to the point that she accepts his affairs and other unacceptable behavior, we get her. That said, it feels disappointing that the film doesn't even offer a final-frame caption to reflect the joy and success she found on her own, once she was no longer Mrs. Presley. Secrets are revealed in the film, but who Priscilla really is remains a mystery.