What should be a joyous time, however, has been grievously marred; Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) is struggling with her mental health problems, and is in the throes of deciding to end her decade-long marriage to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing).
Her mental state isn’t helped by the watchful eye of new valet, Major Alistar Gregory (Timothy Spall). As she deteriorates over the three days, she finds comfort in her sons William (Jack Nielen) and Harry (Freddie Spry), and surprising allies in her dresser Maggie (Sally Hawkins) and chef Darren (Sean Harris).
Pablo Larrain, of Jackie directorial fame, directs this interesting and at times exceedingly tense biopic about one of the most famous women on Earth.
Larrain obviously has a near superhuman grasp of this material, and he expertly sets this apart from the fantastic Netflix series The Crown; delivering a truly unique and must-see film that breaks through the miasmatic glut of Royal family content we have been subjected to in recent years.
Core to the success of Spencer is the stunning performance of the lead actress. Kristen Stewart’s recent years of work in indie films, and even more recent toe-dipping back into mainstream cinema, have solidified her acting talent in the viewing public far apart from her early work in the Twilight saga, but Spencer takes the cake.
For those in the know, it will be a welcome sight; for the unconverted, an indisputable display of talent. She’s a tour de force in this role, delivering a pitch perfect take on the people’s princess, while also bringing a lot of nuance and grace often without any verbosity.
Couple that with stunning cinematography. Visually, the film feels like a more artistic take on the already beautiful The Crown. Whereas that series may be dark, contrasty and moody, this feels pastel and light; completely at odds with Diana’s mood.
It brings a sense of whimsy and levity to the visuals that (a) transports you back to the period quite well, particularly with the gentle haze misting each frame and (b) further heightens the suspense associated with Diana. There’s some truly on edge moments in this movie, and they play out in pastel royal dreamworlds.
These places feel like they are beyond the issues of us normal people, which is why when Diana suffers in these settings, it feels all the more wrong.
There’s a lot to love about this beautiful movie. Stewart brings whimsy to Diana that makes an already likeable underdog even more fun to watch, and her performance is legendary. The visuals are gorgeous, and mix fantasy with the most piercing historical period work.
The costuming is iconic, and Larrain stirs up as many of Diana’s most famous fashions as he can. Amongst all of that, and grounded in a story we know so well, the pacing is kept tight and runs over a simple three-day period, so Spencer never overstays its welcome.
Larrain’s previous work with Jackie was good, but frankly inessential viewing. Spencer suffers no such flaw; it’s a movie that has to be seen on the big screen, more than once.
Jacob Richardson is Creative Director at Film Focus. www.filmfocusau.com
