friday flicks – movies to watch if you loved priscilla

If there’s any director who we reckon would be the best choice for making a biopic about our lives, it’s undoubtedly the one and only Sofia Coppola. With a range of stunning films under her belt and being part of the Coppola film dynasty, (she’s also one of the only nepo babies we trust) Sofia has established herself as a real tour de force within the film industry. Her newest flick, Priscilla, examines the real-life story of Priscilla Presley and her relationship with Elvis, including her early life as a teenager when she first met ‘the king’ at only 14 years old.

After watching Sofia’s newest film, we found ourselves hungry to cast our peepers onto some other movies that have a similar vibe, which is why we managed to rustle up some equally top-notch flicks that we just know you’ll all love. Check them all below, and make sure to add them to your watchlist on Letterboxd ASAP.

MARIE ANTOINETTE Trying to narrow down only one other Sofia Coppola film for this list was truly no easy task, but we have to admit that we have a soft spot for her 2006 historical drama, Marie Antoinette. Just in case you haven’t guessed already, this movie follows the life of the iconic, cake-loving and ill-fated queen of France following her marriage to the French king as a teenager, with Sofia emphasising the incredibly young age of Marie through her use of a soundtrack filled to the brim with teen-bop tunes – and depending on who you ask, is either an incredibly smart or distracting choice (we have to admit that we’re pretty fond of it.) Fabulous costumes abound in this film as well as stunning visuals of the actual Palace of Versailles, and Kirsten Dunst makes for a sympathetic and dazzling portrayal of the undisputed queen of excess.  

AMY If biopics about iconic women of music history are your jam, (pun intended) the 2015 documentary of the late and great Amy Winehouse, Amy, is bound to become a new favourite watch. Make sure to bring lots of tissues though, this film takes an intimate and unwavering look at the singer’s early life, rise to fame, struggles with addiction and her much-too-early death. Directed by Asif Kapadia, this film is shot entirely through archive footage of Amy from her public appearances as well as personal videos shot by her closest friends and family, making it an incredibly confidential look at the “Back to Black” star. We can guarantee you’ll be listening to all of her songs on repeat by the time this flick is over – if you manage to stop weeping.

CROOKLYN Directed by the legendary Spike Lee, this 1994 semi-autobiographical flick follows a young girl named Troy and her family living in Brooklyn, New York, during the summer of 1973, and even co-wrote it with his real-life siblings to give it an added touch of authenticity. This movie is certainly the most vibrant and colourful addition to this list, and it even features a surprise cameo from RuPaul herself during her “Supermodel” heyday next to an incredibly bewildered and awed Troy. It tells a moving story about black girlhood amid a sunny ‘70s summer, which was seeming all the rage during the ‘90s – Dazed and Confused, The Brady Bunch Movie and Boogie Nights were all released in this decade, so it’s safe to say that there was a real buzz about the disco-dazzling days of the ‘70s in an era defined by grunge and gangsta rap. The film is visually wonderful, but it also has a killer soundtrack that we bet that you’ll be playing on repeat for a while.

PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK Australian gothic has never been so clearly depicted as in this 1975 mystery film that’s now become a key staple of Australian cinema, Picnic at Hanging Rock, which is based on the 1967 novel of the same name. This film, if you don’t know already, follows a group of schoolgirls from the 1900s living in Victoria and their subsequent picnic trip to (you guessed it) Hanging Rock where they encounter something…strange. The centre of this film relies on the real mystery of what happened at Hanging Rock, since whether it was supernatural or otherwise is never fully explained, leading to an everlasting appeal (and intense debates) over what might have happened to those schoolgirls. It’s draped in a dreamy aesthetic that Sofia Coppola herself fell in love with, and even used this flick as a basis for her auteur style of soft visuals and an emphasis on the teenage girl experience in her filmography.

SPENCER Ending this list with a movie about another tragic female icon from history, this historic-fiction and psychological drama follows Princess Diana as she joins the British royal family for Christmas in 1991 and begins to consider divorcing from then-Prince Charles. It’s equally beautiful as it is slightly spooky, as Diana undergoes an existential crisis that alters with her sense of reality, and even begins hallucinating about other famous royals from the past. It’s directed by Pablo Larraín who directed Jackie, (another fab movie that you should add to your must-watch list, might we add) who similarly used Super 16mm and 35mm film stock that gives it a timeless and hazy look to it. Kristen Stewart stars as Diana, and we reckon that this role is her best yet – even if we are still big Twilight fangirls at heart.