Spencer Movie Review: Kristen Stewart Brings Oscar Brilliance as Princess Diana in This Fable-Like Tale (LatestLY Exclusive)

Spencer Movie Review: “A Fable of a True Tragedy” or something along the same lines appear at the start of Spencer, setting the tone of what’s about to come. It is a story that tells an idiosyncratic story about an idiosyncratic lifestyle and it works wonders. As Spencer finished, I sat there pondering on what I watched as I was drained emotionally on all accounts. It is a film that is going to stick with me for a bit. Spencer: Kristen Stewart Says ‘It Was Nice’ That Netflix Show The Crown Existed, Reveals How It Helped Her Prep for the Role of Princess Diana.

Spencer tells the story of Princess Diana during the December of 1991. It takes place over the course of three days, those days being Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing day. In this we see the traditions of the royal family and how Princess Diana deals with these traditions. It has a fable-like feel to it while still mixing in a lot of realistic tones within its plot.

Well just to mention first, Kristen Stewart, bravo! What a performance, possibly my favorite of the year. She as Princess Diana is such an out of the field casting and it works so well here. Stewart completely embodies this role. Princess Diana is a very tricky role to capture and Stewart pulls it off. There are certain scenes where Diana is anxious or is considering self-harm and in those instances you feel what she is going through. With every breakdown, you feel a choke down your neck as Kristen navigates through the scene pitch perfectly.

There will be certain scenes, for example how Diana is forced to wear a specific dress for a certain occasion like “oh you just want to go and have breakfast? Well here is a specific dress for that”. As an audience member you feel her frustration where you start sympathising with Diana. Over here you have a woman who just wants to enjoy a normal life, but is burdened with the royal status and adhering to the traditions. Honestly this is a great Oscar contender we have in Kristen Stewart’s portrayal of Princess Diana.

Watch The Trailer:

The psych of Diana especially is explored very well here. Spencer doesn’t tell a straightforward story. While some of it may feel straightforward, it has a lot of heavy metaphors to it. In a way it is an exploration of Diana as a person. The royal lifestyle under a microscope, Spencer critiques it in a great way without feeling like it’s constantly hitting you on the head with it. Every casting decision is great and their brief interactions with Diana really tell you about how she is feeling.

Talking about the story too, it is a draining one. At points Spencer definitely had me emotionally overwhelmed as I was so engrossed into it. Every time things started getting tensed up, I felt like I was on the edge of my seat. This made me appreciate so many of the more light hearted moments sprinkled in between as I could laugh along with these characters. Amidst the claustrophobic and emotional story, it lands an ending that feels extremely cathartic and freeing. Spencer Trailer: Kristen Stewart Is Perfection As Princess Diana Trapped in a Loveless Marriage With Prince Charles (Watch Video).

Spencer also has some great cinematography. Shot on film and presented in a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Spencer does a great job at making itself look like a film from that era. There are some glorious, wonderful shots of Queen’s Sandringham Estate. There are even certain shots that give Spencer a dream-like feel which really works well with the tone present. Overall Claire Mathon has done a fantastic job at shooting this film. Also the makeup and costume design is stellar on all fronts. The makeup on Kristen Stewart just makes her seem familiar but still unrecognizable. She literally looks like Diana in some instances where it creates such an uncanny feeling.

Can’t go by without mentioning the score by Johnny Greenwood too here. Its crafted brilliantly that gives Spencer such a great atmosphere. Some of the audio cues here give the scenes so much personality where I couldn’t help but be engrossed. He crafts a beautiful score that I am still listening to at the time of writing this review.

In terms of criticism, I honestly can’t say much. There isn’t much to criticize here. The most nitpicky part of me wants to say that if you go in expecting a straight forward story, you aren’t going to get one. It is very much a slow burn that takes its time and tonally tries something different than most biopics. It is not going to sit with everybody and that’s what bums me out the most about it, because Spencer is one of the best crafted films I have seen this year.

Yay!

Kristen Stewart as Diana

Great Story

Great Casting

Amazing Cinematography

Nay!

Can Be a Hard Watch For Some

Final Thoughts

Pablo Larraín crafts a film that is impactful, brilliant and wonderfully acted. Kristen Stewart gives an Oscar worthy performance that had my eyes glued to the screen. Spencer is a film that amidst all its challenges, sticks the landing with a much needed cathartic ending and one that is going to stick with me for a while.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2021 03:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).