Spencer - Movie Review

Critics Score - 8 of 10

General Audience Score - 6 of 10

The royal family has been an object of fascination for the general public for hundreds of years, and with modern technology, events like royal weddings become the center of worldwide attention. Even with the kings and queens losing most of their actual power as the years pass, the royal lineage of old and those next in line for the crown are the source of countless stories, movies, tabloid articles and shows. A new film from Pablo Larraín, the director of Jackie, brings us his latest piece of cinema about one of the most fixating personalities to ever grace the royal stage, Princess Diana of Wales. The movie is Spencer, and it’s one of the most interesting films of the year for several reasons. The main performance by Kristen Stewart is utterly remarkable, she’s not only likely to get a Best Actress nomination, she’s got a fantastic chance to win. Several other Oscar nominations are also likely to show up, including Best Picture, simply because this movie is among the finest of the year. General audiences may struggle to connect with the film through parts of it, but many will be struck by the amazing portrayal of Diana Spencer and the riveting insights into the life of a royal.

SYNOPSIS - This trip to spend Christmas with the Queen starts with a convoy of army trucks delivering a payload of the finest foods to a mansion in the country where the royal family spends their holidays. Then we see Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) driving her porche through the countryside, as she continues driving and checking her map, she finally pulls into a gas station and asks for directions. After finally recognizing where she is, she spots a scarecrow that she thinks is wearing her father’s old coat and after jogging across a field, relieves the metal man of the jacket, a clue that all is not well. After arriving late and getting weighed in, the Christmas tradition is that everyone gain three pounds over the holiday, we start to clue in on the amount of control that being in the royal family has over an individual. We see her interactions with her boys and feel her love for them but we get a sense of how truly lonely she is when Maggie (Sally Hawkins) arrives to manages all her clothes and Diana rushes up to greet her. As things continue to deteriorate with Diana’s mental stability, we can feel the noose of control tightening around her neck and we wonder if and when this train is going to derail.

Once the train is in flames alongside the track and all the passengers have died, the film has ended in a most unexpected way and solidified itself amount the best films of the year. On a technical level there’s very little wrong with the film, the acting is impeccable, costume design is flawless, cinematography, screenplay and direction are all excellent. But on the whole the film is less than the sum of its parts. While some films are crafted exceedingly well are able to pack more of an emotional punch, Spencer leans into the world of abstract filmmaking at times and keeps the audience at arms length a majority of the film. Another fault may be found in the very curious choice of music, a creepy blend of violin and erratic jazz, it was obviously a deliberate decision but extremely strange in context of the film, fitting in with it’s few abstract moments but off-putting during the rest. Most people will enjoy their time with this alternate Diana but unless you love the royal family a whole lot or are really into the technical aspects of film, you’ll probably not be in any hurry to return to visit this oddity of filmmaking.

SUMMARY - This film doesn’t drag much if at all despite approaching two hours but it’s just not going to rock general audiences the same way it will cinephiles and the art house crowd. Kristen Stewart is a wonder to behold and most audiences will enjoy her performance if nothing else, although the film won’t resonate with everyone, there’s just too much beauty and artistic value here to try and deny the appeal of Spencer.