A depiction of Jackie Kennedy at her most vulnerable

THE public fascination with women who occupy the White House - First Ladies who stand by, smile sweetly and shake hands for the cameras while their husbands get on with the business of running the country and representing the Free World - reached its absolute peak when Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy turned a traditionally secondary part into a starring role.

The young wife of President John F Kennedy brought glamour, style and an ability to connect with a broad audience while also somehow managing to maintain her personal privacy. In other words, she had a usually bloodthirsty media wrapped around her little finger.

Jackie, a film by the Chilean director Pablo Larrain, acknowledges this public side of one of the world's most scrutinised women but chooses instead to depict her at her most vulnerable - in the immediate aftermath of her husband's assassination. The result is an intimate and infinitely more interesting character study.