Following up his acclaimed biopic Jackie, Pablo Larrain’s Spencer is a refreshingly different genre piece that this time chooses to put Princess Diana under the microscope – devoid of the taboo soap opera ideals and tactless tabloid melodrama and, instead, going for surrealism and decadence in one of this year’s best films.
Taking place over three days – from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day – in which Diana (Kristen Stewart)’s relationship with husband Charles (Jack Farthing) fell apart, Spencer digs into what those paparazzi photos and headlines really meant for the Royal Family. “There’s no hope for me, not with them,” remarks Diana as she’s dolled up for the world and made to conform to a household that stifles who she is. As the pressure of the monarchy mounts though, Diana’s unravelling soon leads her to a boiling point.
Where most films or shows about the Royal Family obey traditionalism, Spencer is an audacious endeavour that throws all of the rules out of the window. This is a movie in which Diana self-harms and cusses and the only thing anyone cares about is their reputation: “the only portrait that matters is the one they put on the 10-pound note”, mutters our very own Queen. Larrain doesn’t care about the headlines and the controversy and digs into who these people really were. It’s a take that not everyone will like. But if you’ve seen Jackie, this is a similar exercise in genre-defying, rule-bending biopic storytelling from the Chilean filmmaker.
Dabbed with surrealist flourishes and accompanied by a sumptuous score from Jonny Greenwood, Spencer offers a more elegiac portrait of Diana. She’s damaged and tragic, worn down by the pressure cooker that is the monarchy, and Larrain really puts her under the microscope for dissection. In doing so, Larrain’s intimate touch makes this one of the more enthralling and vulnerable character studies premiering at the Lido this September. And Stewart is astounding in the role. Of course, she has the mannerisms and the accent all down to a tee. She looks the part, this much was made clear by the promotional images. But it’s the paranoia that she nails. This is a ravaged character and you can feel Stewart’s desperation and pain seeping through the screen. It’s hard to imagine that any performance will come close to this one come awards season later down the line.
Much like Jackie before it, Larrain’s Spencer is a visually arresting and deeply intimate biopic that is elevated by its fantastical nature with a luscious soundtrack to boot. The production and costume design are absorbing and the whole thing is anchored by a sublime turn from Stewart. Turning the royal family, and one of its most iconic personalities a Gothic nightmare makes for one of the best films of the year. Who knew?
Spencer
Summary
A visually arresting and deeply intimate biopic that is elevated by its fantastical nature with a luscious soundtrack to boot.
