Spencer

The 2021 psychological drama, Spencer, was a film that was seen as divisive at best and controversial at worst even when it was first announced. Marketing itself as a fabled account of Princess Diana’s 1991 Christmas with the Royal family where she considered divorcing from Prince Charles, while the critical reception for the film was fairly positive and Kristen Stewart’s performance as Diana was praised enough to earn her an Oscar nomination, the poor box office as well as the general disdain some had for this picture due to its almost mentally deranged look at someone who experienced a lot of suffering during her lifetime, didn’t paint it in the best light. It didn’t remain in most people’s memory and has fallen to become that odd experimental picture that probably has strong merits, yet very few wish to see them due to being turned off by the main content, which is honestly a fair assessment to have. On Christmas Eve before the British Royal family celebrate their Christmas holiday, Princess Diana (played by Kristen Stewart) arrives late and finds that the entire palace is judgingly glaring at her, believing she is on the cusp of a mental breakdown. Although definitely fuelled by personal biases against her, Diana’s mental state is truly at risk due to the constant stress she faces from her husband, Prince Charles (played by Jack Farthing) having an open affair with another woman, being forced to deal with the peering eyes of the paparazzi and the royal family, made more openly so by Major Alistair Gregory (played by Timothy Spall) watching her every move to make sure she doesn’t cause any problems, and seemingly being haunted by the ghost of Anne Boleyn (played by Amy Manson). Having no one to turn to except for her sons, William, and Harry (played by Jack Nielen and Freddie Spry) and nowhere to go for sanctuary (despite her dilapidated home literally being across the grounds), Diana falls more and more into her paranoid delusions, which might only be resolved if she finally rids herself of this marriage and this family once and for all. Spencer is a flawed picture almost down to its very concept, as it feels like it’s actively hampered by its connections to Diana and fails in effectively mirroring any sense of connectable window into her world or real-world events surrounding her. However, as its own creation, the film has several engaging, fascinating, and visually stunning aspects that make it a unique experiment at least worth observing.

The film makes it very clear right at the beginning that this isn’t supposed to be historical or based on any fact, but is instead labelled as a ‘’fable of true events’’, essentially using the framework of a true story to construct their own tale around it, which comes with its own pros and cons. While there is a lot to explore surrounding the tragic life of Diana and even presenting it in this psychological thriller-esque environment could have merit, the way this film handles itself could come across as a little insensitive. Seeing a person that many admired in this hysterical state which makes her look slightly disturbed, can feel like they are exploiting someone’s tragedy for the sake of gaining media attention, and due to the brisk manner in which the film glosses over the established relationships and conflicts of these well-known royal figures, it makes it clear that it’s relying on the public awareness of the family to fill in some gaps rather than wasting time on restating it themselves. It’s very experimental and feels like a test in new waters for this kind of story, and for those that want to see a portrait of Diana without these knicks, and babbles attached, this is not a movie they will either like or even appreciate, they could very easily hate it (as a few people did). With that said, if you exclude that element (which is understandably hard to do) and focus on what this film is doing just as a movie, there’s a lot of good stuff here. A lot of the goodwill mainly comes from the directing by Pablo Larraín, who commands this film very effectively with engaging performances, tightly directed scene with very clever visual story cues and metaphors, a pace that takes what is honestly a pretty barren idea and makes it feel nice and quick, and creates an atmosphere that is just unhinged enough to feel retro, tense and almost other-worldly in parts, yet still remains classy, interesting and appropriately emotion-driven so as to not fall off into exploitation territories. The script by Steven Knight isn’t the best (especially in making this feel the least bit authentic to real life), but there are a few nice scenes with good gripping dialogue, and the way the plot plays out does lead way to plenty of memorable moments.

Outside of the idea, the biggest point of contention the film was able to receive was Kristen Stewart’s portrayal of Diana. Being an actress that had to fight an uphill battle as her introductory project in Twilight presented her as a wooden actress that was incapable of emoting or connecting with audiences, she has over time through better roles proven to be a capable actress who can bring something to a role if given the chance, and this film is no different. The opening does come across more like a performance rather than an actual character, and her accent does drop every once and a while, yet the voice itself sounds solid, a lot of her scenes are handled well, the dialogue she’s given can feel a little like stage play writing at times yet she still makes them feel somewhat genuine, and (in a nice twist), her expressions are very strong, managing to properly convey the repressed pain and frustrated anguish this person is going through without needing to say a word (a scene with everyone at a dinner table is easily the best scene in the film for how much context is given without a single line of dialogue, it’s incredibly impressive). It’s hard to say that it’s a great portrayal of Diana (even though many of her former staff members applauded Stewart as being one of the most accurate portrayals, so that’s nice to hear), but it is quite a strong performance on its own and one that was fitting of earning that nomination. While the rest of the supporting cast are not very fleshed out and feel more like props in the scenery to enhance the mood (whether in a good or a bad way), most of the acting is still pretty strong and makes them come across as more than just tools. Timothy Spall is great as this watcher of Diana who almost feels like a ghost wandering the halls waiting for any moment to call her out for anything, Jack Farthing does a decent job bringing a familiar sense of annoying pompousness to Charles, people like Sean Harris and Sally Hawkins act as nice comforting genuine faces in this judging, sumptuous environment, Jack Nielen and Freddie Spry share some nice scenes with Stewart as her children, Amy Manson as the role of Anne Boleyn is brief yet memorable, and even Stella Gonet as the Queen is able to carry a sense of dignity and parental judging without barely saying a thing, it’s a pretty solid cast overall.

This is a very visually stunning movie, and it manages to be in a very unique manner due to containing elements that are quite abnormal for this kind of story and this kind of pleasant imagery. It contains a washed-out grainy filter almost akin to something from the early 70s, it has strong harsh lighting, the camera work is both overly stilted and overly frantic in parts, and the score is very wild and chaotic in an almost formless melody, and yet each of these elements is so masterfully constructed that it creates such a unique experience that won’t easily be forgotten. The shakier filter and almost retro style of filmmaking brings an out-of-touch quality that truly makes it feel like it is taking place in a different period as well as a different genre, with a lot of inspiration from people like David Lynch and especially Stanely Kubrick shining through. The lighting is harsh and evasive, making everything look bleached and harsh to look at, and the splashes of color (while still muted) doted around the natural environment and sets stand out much more against the more traditional costume design by Jacqueline Durran which consists of a lot of muted greys, blues, and blacks. The production design by Guy Hendrix Dyas is wonderfully ornate, classy, and fitting for the royal family, yet the way this house is filmed and staged, makes it feel suffocating in a very effective manner, almost like it’s a ritzy tomb that eats away at you mentally by shutting you out and gas-lighting you into seeming crazy for not acting normal in what seems like a prestigious environment. The cinematography by Claire Mathon is outstanding, managing to provide some truly stunning and very memorable shots in a way that is still highly original for a premise that would normally be delivered very plainly. Whether through shaky-cam close-ups that mirror that feeling of being spied on by prying cameras from the press, tracking shots that perfectly establishes the tone of the environment as well as give an almost horror quality to how succinct yet flowing it is by nature, or still shots that provide some truly great imagery that allows you to sit in a moment and feel the anguish on total display, it’s magnificent work and showcases a very strong talent. Another example of extreme talent is Jonny Greenwood through his handling of the film’s score, which manages to heighten the off-putting tension of most scenes with a piece that is delightfully all-over-the-place, yet still contains familiar notes and sounds of something regal to give off the illusion of something comforting.

Spencer is a complicated movie that definitely isn’t bad but has enough going against to hold it back from being its truest self. The sad thing is that this could’ve worked much better if they just made up their own story and removed the Diana element altogether, because it has done more harm to the film than good and its’ drenched all over this movie in almost every crevice, so it can’t be ignored. There is a lot of fantastic visuals, effective imagery that ties into the story it’s telling, solid performances that are strong both verbally and physically, and an overall interesting idea of presenting the mental deconstruction of a royal in the same manner as a psychological thriller, even though it might’ve been smarter to either just create a new narrative with a made-up individual, or focus on someone far in the past whose history is open to some cinematic retooling (even Anne Boleyn fittingly enough). Uneven and probably stepped on a few toes which kept it from being bigger, but this psychological dive into a meaningful person of modern history has enough ethereal beauty and manic atmosphere to result in an interesting viewing experience that should at least be given one try.