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Spencer Movie Review

Spencer is a 2021 biographical psychological drama film directed by Pablo Larrain and starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. I was blown away by this movie.

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“Now leave me. I wish to masturbate.

You can tell everyone I said that“

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Critics and moviegoers constantly complain about biopics. And they are right – most of them are bland and very tiresome. However, Larrain here made something completely different and some people are now complaining that it’s too much of a departure. That is a ridiculous notion to me as this movie needs to be admired for its immense originally and a fresh take on the most tired genre of them all.

The movie is only concerned with one Christmas period in 1991. It doesn’t tackle Diana’s story before or after this period. This decision goes in line with other modern biopics, but it also makes sense as the director isn’t really concerned with historical authenticity. He wanted to show entrapment of a person and how psychologically damaging it can be. By positioning it inside this genre and by depicting such an important historical figure, he made a wholly unique product.

Much has been said about the queen and the family’s involvement with the death of Diana. There are so many mysteries surrounding this event that I personally believe that she was killed. The movie itself harshly criticizes their treatment of her, which is why many have pinpointed how unfair the movie is to the family, but I wholeheartedly disagree. This depiction was accurate according to many accounts and it needed to be portrayed.

Some have called the movie Spencer a horror film and I can see that. I personally would call it a psychological drama with definite atmospheric horror overtones. Depicting just how suffocating and limiting life is for the royals was both eye-opening and genuinely disturbing in certain moments, but above all else tragic. It is a heartbreaking tale about a woman who wanted to be free, but never quite managed to escape from this toxic family.

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We see them following her throughout the castle and the servants basically give her no space to be alone, let alone go anywhere or do anything else besides the regular daily activities. The movie also depicts the shooting of the pheasants that they did for no apparent reason. By showcasing these many ridiculous, made-up activities, the film makes a clear statement – the notion of a monarchy with no legitimate governing powers is just wrong. The family serves no purpose and the world’s fascination with them is, thus, even more problematic.

Before this movie, I hadn’t been the biggest fan of Kristen Stewart. To me, she was always a bit too cold and one-note. But that is because she continued to receive bland roles. That all changes with Spencer, a movie that sees her reach enormous acting powers. Her accent is questionable according to many and it is odd to listen to even if you take into account that the accent of the royals is strange as well, but her deeply emotional performance is truly incredible to witness. She did a lot of terrific facial acting here and just her eyes spoke volumes.

Spencer is uneven in certain sections. I did like the ghost scene, but maybe it was too much for this movie. There is some repetition to be found in the mid-section and I wished for better characterization of others, but this is Diana’s movie and she’s amazing. That last sequence was so touching and a perfect way to close the movie. The cinematography is also very strong as are the costume and production design. The movie looks incredible and its atmosphere is one of deep discomfort and pervasive sadness.

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