Spencer Review

 

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 117 minutes 

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, Jack Farthing

Directed by: Pablo Larrain 

The story: As the Royal Family gathers at Sandringham Estate for Christmas festivities, Princess Diana struggles with tales of Prince Charles’ infidelity and her role as future queen.

The verdict: It is Christmas morning, 2019. I have found myself, along with hundreds of other people, waiting in the grounds of Sandringham Estate for a glimpse of the Royal Family as they make their way to the Christmas morning service at the church of St Mary Magdalene. 

Convinced by my royalist partner to attend, and originally indifferent to spending my Christmas morning this way, to my immense surprise I soon find myself caught up in the excitement. The crowds are jovial and enthusiastic, in spite of the chill in the air and the frost on the ground, and Union Jack flags are passed around to wave. 

Christmas time, 1991 and Spencer paints a rather different picture of how one might feel upon arriving at Sandringham Estate. Joviality is replaced by dread and enthusiasm by oppression.

In a recent interview, Kristen Stewart stated that she had only made “five really good films” in her career. That’s not a statement I agree with, but if she thinks that then surely Spencer must be one of the films she’s referring to. Stewart, yet again, proves her naysayers wrong with a career best performance as the Princess of Wales. She’s coquettish when she needs to be, undeniably strong when she has to be and consistently vulnerable to the point of breaking. Some of my favourite scenes are those where she’s simply “mummy” and larking around with William and Harry - they are her world and she is theirs. Stewart successfully manages to capture all the different aspects of Diana’s life and best of all it never feels like she is doing an impression or trying to.

The supporting cast also make their mark, with Sally Hawkins and Sean Harris in particular standing out as antitheses to the Royal Family. They provide the softness, care and love that Diana craves. Another standout performance, and undoubtedly a name to watch, is that of Jack Nielan who plays Prince William with both a wide eyed innocence but also a maturity beyond his years. 

Technically, Spencer is astoundingly accomplished. It is filmed and framed beautifully with a score by Jonny Greenwood which manages to be both exquisite and sinister in equal measure. Pablo Larrain has made a film that feels like old school cinema and I was riveted and completely engaged in it throughout. 

My only concern whilst watching Spencer was the worry that some audiences might take it as cold hard fact. Whilst Spencer takes much of what is true and known, for example Princess Diana’s eating disorder, it is not a biopic. An epigraph states that Spencer is ‘A fable from a true tragedy.’ This distinction is important and I hope that audiences do not simply dismiss it. 

Spencer is a haunting and ethereal portrait of a beloved icon. It was also incredibly affecting and by the end, I found myself feeling profoundly sad. In one scene, Diana ponders what word will accompany her name in the same vein as William the Conqueror or Elizabeth the Virgin. Films such as Spencer remind us that she was so many things - Diana the Enduring, Diana the Fallible, Diana the Unforgettable.

The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️