Tucker evoked the loneliness of Jackie's celebrated concert career and her longing for the settled life of her sister while depicting the premature silencing of her prodigious talent (and death at 42) from multiple sclerosis as a tragedy for audiences, deprived of the sweet music she could have made. Screenwriter Boyce devised the winning formula, a three-act structure adopting an omniscient point of view of their childhood and "Rashomon" perspectives from both adult principals for Acts Two and Three. In an Oscar-nominated lead portrayal, Emily Watson stunningly captured every nuance of a character trapped between genius and madness, and Rachel Griffiths earned a Best Supporting Actress nod for supplying the film's emotional center (and holding her own against Watson's powerhouse performance as Jackie).