Spencer Reviews

There have been many films, documentaries, docuseries, and television dramas focused on the character of Princess Diana. However, Pablo Larraín's film, Spencer, reveals the Princess of Wales life in a way that no other film has before. Spencer opens with the white words on a black screen: "A fable from a true tragedy." Larraín reveals from the start that he's taken creative license with Princess Diana's story. The narrative centers on Christmas of 1991. All of the royal family is expected to celebrate the holiday at the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Instead of showing the audience Diana straightaway, viewers are given a glimpse into the seriousness of the royal celebration. Military tanks drive down a quiet road and pass dead pheasants as they enter the Estate grounds. Soldiers bring several metal cases into the Queen's Estate. As the soldiers march out, the chefs enter. It's revealed that the cases held fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood on ice, and other specialty items for the three days of feasting. When the audience meets Diana, incredibly portrayed by Kristen Stewart, she is wearing sunglasses, driving a convertible, and lost. She pulls into a small fish and chips shop to ask for directions and everyone is shocked that she is alone, without her security detail, and walking into a regular establishment. She goes up to the counter and simply says, "I'm looking for somewhere." This is one of the quiet refrains of the film. Diana is looking for somewhere she can be free. She is longing for someone she can be free with. Her only ally at the Estate is her royal dresser, Maggie, played by Golden Globe winner, Sally Hawkins. However, even her dresser is sent away when Diana proves unruly by changing which dresses she wears for which meal and event. Larraín's film is full of symbolism and metaphor. Perhaps too much, and that may make the film feel a bit too on the nose at times. However, Stewart's portrayal of Diana at such a critical point in her life demands attention, even if it's filled to the brim with poetical devices. Diana feels a kinship with Anne Boleyn, another queen accused of wrongdoing when it was her husband who was having an affair. She is connected to the pheasants on the grounds who, Diana is told by the chef, are bred for the gun. If shooting did not exist, neither would the pheasant. He tells her that the birds who aren't shot are hit by cars since they're not very bright. She calls the pheasants beautiful but useless. Another major symbol of the film is a large pearl necklace that Prince Charles has given to Diana. She reveals to Maggie that she's seen a photo of Camilla, the Prince's mistress, wearing the same necklace. He'd bought one for both of them. The jewelry serves as a chain around Diana's neck until she has an epiphany at her childhood home when she should've been at Christmas dinner. Somehow, the Princess of Wales musters the courage to stand up to the royal family, demand her children, and leave the Estate well before they were scheduled to depart. To his credit, Prince Charles, played by Jack Farthing, allows the three to leave with little resistance. The trio drives off listening to "All I Need Is a Miracle" by Mike + the Mechanics. Larraín intends the final song to reveal Diana's newfound strength and love for herself. When she sings, "And if I ever catch up with you, I'm gonna love you for the rest of your life" with her sons in the car, it's clear she's singing to herself. Watching the film, knowing what is to come to Princess Diana only makes everything she goes through more keenly felt. Kristen Stewart deserves all the accolades she's received. When she gives the drive-thru cashier her maiden name Spencer as the name for the order, the audience knows she's gotten her miracle, she's going to find her somewhere, and she's the person she needs to love for the rest of her life.