Kristen Stewart should be Oscar nominated for deftly depicting the contrasting sides of Princess Diana in a typical weekend with the relatives.
Spencer
“Excuse me,” she says to no one in particular. “I’m looking for somewhere. I have absolutely no idea where I am.” Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart)
In the opening sequence of Spencer, Diana is driving herself to the royal estate for a weekend with the relatives. Although she grew up in these parts, she is lost. The figurative aspect of that “lost” is apparent, for the fictional weekend serves well to get us closer to the princess known to the world but not to herself.
Kristen Stewart is Diana and probably her star self, both uncertain how to handle celebrity and in Diana’s case, needing true love. She will not get that from Prince Charles, who lectures her on the two personas the job demands, as if splitting himself into two is easy for him.
Timothy Spall plays Major Alistar Gregory, whose job is to keep the photographers and other aliens from the compound and to direct Diana in the ways of tradition. It’s that tradition that chokes Diana, literally, as she forces vomiting and generally has an unsuccessful relationship with the food that punctuates the royals’ days.
Spall is incomparable as the uptight guardian of the household, barely revealing deeper, softer attitude toward tradition. Director Pablo Larrain (he did similar magic with Jackie and coaxed Natalie Portman to an Oscar nomination) combines the wide perspective shots of the estate with crowding closeups of Diana to show consistently her crushing alienation from the demands of the estate in particular and British tradition in general.
Most rewarding on a dramatic level is the relationship between Diana and her attendant Maggie (Sally Hawkins). Not only do they have a sincere affection for each other, but they also have the best two-hander scene to give the film a much-needed shock. It’s a scene to remember.
I would have liked more dialogue to complement the many solitary closeup scenes, but the filmmakers have done their job well. As unstable as Diana may have been, I’d love to have her back.
Spencer
Director: Pablo Larrain (Jackie)
Screenplay: Stephen Knight (Locke)
Cast: Kristen Stewart (Personal Shopper)
Run Time: 1h 57m
Rating: R
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts WCBE’s It’s Movie Time and co-hosts Cinema Classics. Contact him at JohnDeSando62@gmail.com
