A Reel Review: SPENCER

In 2016, Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain brought us the Oscar-nominated drama JACKIE; an intimate look at the life of Jackie Kennedy in the days following the assassination of her husband, President Kennedy. Seemingly fascinated by the unraveling of a human being, Larrain returns with SPENCER…another drama that dives deep into the mind of the late Princess Diana. 

 

It is 1991, and Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart), arrives for Christmas festivities at the Queen’s sprawling Sandringham Estate…where she finds herself at her breaking point. 

 

The opening minute of SPENCER tell us, “A fable based on a true tragedy”. With that said, the film is right away letting it be known that this is a story not quite based on fact, but instead what might have happened on that fateful weekend where Diana finally decides that she no longer wants to be part of the Royal Family. The film itself does not have much by way of plot, and is instead an intimate mood piece; capturing Diana’s fragile state-of-mind towards the end of her marriage. 

 

SPENCER follows Diana as she finds herself trapped at every turn. Director Pablo Larrain is heavy on the metaphor; using towering ceilings to make her look small, tight pearl necklaces to give the idea of being choked, and curtains sewn shut (to protect against photographers), to make her feel imprisoned. And despite the large estate she finds herself trapped in, SPENCER comes across as very claustrophobic and it works well. 

 

Where SPENCER stumbles is the portrayal of Diana. While the character is obviously going through a major change in her life, she comes across as too frazzled, too needy, and nearly nuts. It’s almost to the point where it’s hard to feel sorry for her…which seems to be the point of the film in the first place. Quiet scenes with Diana and her children are excellent, but only seem to be a break in the nuttiness that this Princess Di will eventually get back to. There is also the occasional scene of Diana seeing ghosts and incidents that are only happening in her mind; well-intentioned but come off as weird. 

 

Kristen Stewart handles the role very well, carries a decent accent, and seems to get a lot of Diana’s mannerisms down-pat. Sally Hawkins comes in as Diana’s trusted maid and does very well, as always. Timothy Spall appears as the head of household and is solid. The rest of the cast for the Royal Family fades into the background…adding to Diana’s feeling of isolation. 

 

SPENCER is a technical marvel with gorgeous cinematography, sharp execution, period-costumes that are spot-in, a marvelous score by Jonny Greenwood, and overall excellent performances. It only needed to dial back the unraveling of the Princess, which as is makes this fable hard to swallow. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: Rent it