An early title card in Spencer labels itself a “fable from a true tragedy,” signaling to viewers to not be too precious about their Royal knowledge. The movie depicts Princess Diana’s Christmas 1991 stay at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate—a brief stay that acts as a profound turning point in Diana’s future and relationship with the Royal Family. As someone entirely ignorant of the Royals, I can only guess where Spencer blurs the line between staunch fact and heightened reality, but the movie is less concerned (and rightly so) with strict, documentarian storytelling and focuses on capturing a claustrophobic portrait of Diana’s experience. The A.V. Club’s Leila Latif made the perfect observation that Spencer has more in common with The Shining than The Crown.
Spencer is both beautiful and unsettling to watch. Director Pablo Larrain, who helmed the similarly-unconventional biopic Jackie, shoots the stunning, ornate spaces in oppressive close-ups, crafting extended, unbroken sequences that heighten the discomfort and capture Diana’s growing paranoia and mental strain. Every decision Larrain makes is to showcase Kristen Stewart, who perfectly channels Diana’s mannerisms and persona. Her performance is incredible, leading us through a slow unraveling as Diana attempts to rebel at the carefully-structured world collapsing in on her.
I can’t imagine the Royal Family is pleased with this movie (or if they even watch movies). It paints them and the institution in an unflattering—and fair—light. The influence and perpetuance of the Royals in the 21st century is frankly pretty weird, something that is underscored in Spencer, as Diana continually bristles against or challenges tradition-for-tradition’s-sake. At one point, while being shown a detailed list of outfits to wear throughout her stay, she remarks that her checklist life seems “as if everything’s already happened.” Her overly-regimented routines and the overbearing strain and hypocrisy of demanded Royal perfection contributes to her sloppy, cabin fever impulses. She’s been an outsider trying in vain to adapt or update a centuries-old institution—and Spencer reflects a Diana struggling to break free as she’s beaten down by the inability and outright refusal of others to allow such changes. Those ideas swirling in Diana’s head, brought to life by Stewart’s mesmerizing performance and Larrain’s uncompromising visuals, are what push Spencer above the standard biopic, resulting in a gripping and cathartic experience.
Spencer is currently playing in theaters and available to rent on Amazon and AppleTV. It runs 117 minutes and is rated R for some language.
