This review is about our coverage in 2021 Nashville Film Festival.
The Pitch: For three days, Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Spencer) faces a decision that will inevitably change her destiny: continue to live close to suffering amidst the royal family, or separated from her husband?
History already knows the answer, leaving an air of tragedy even in moments of small victory and stolen joy for Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart, as evocative in his description as indicated by the early reactions). “It’s been three days,” Diana whispered to herself early in the film. Those three days proved to be a test more difficult than he had expected.
Heavy Head Wearing the Crown: One of Pablo Larraín’s first film shots made in a chef’s kitchen under the Sandringham Estate. The camera keeps a sign above one of the several stations. It reads: KEEP THE SOUND AT A MINIMUM. THEY CAN HEAR YOU.
This detail is a heavy introduction to the story that unfolds over the next 111 minutes. Desiring to seek strength as her marriage to Prince Charles breaks down, tragic and three-dimensional in Stewart’s hands. While most of the voices mocking Stewart’s casting were silenced after the first trailer revealed her strange resemblance to the late princess, Stewart has long proven that she is a skilled indie actress. in this post-twilight world
The film relies entirely on Stewart’s small shoulder – the camera almost never leaves his face, even when he is surrounded by the royal family. Steven Knight’s script isn’t much, meaning Stewart and the steely supporting cast (with Timothy Spall as the family caretaker Major Gregory, Jack Farthing as Prince Charles, and Stella Gonet as Queen Elizabeth) have to heal the tension in other ways – and it does.
For the Good of the Nation: Throughout the movie, there isn’t a single room where Diana can escape where she’s not bothered by knocking on the door. “They’re waiting for you, ma’am” is a constant restraint. Diana’s gilded cage is amazing and pathetic – the set pieces and the design of the costumes are extravagant, emphasizing the feel of eating sweets to the point of illness.
Diana also proved herself to be an unreliable narrator. He saw things and people who were not there, namely Anne Boelyn, who had died by beheading at the hands of King Henry VIII. (While effective, this motive is a less subtle tool Larraín uses to communicate Diana’s state of mind.) A sequence will play out and reveal themselves as imaginary, never giving the listeners to be comfortable.
The Queen of Hearts: Diana’s allies are few: Sally Hawkins a gentle man like Maggie, Diana’s Royal Dresser, but even she was torn from the princess for a long time in need. Sean Harris, as the Royal Head Chef, also provides moments of relaxation.
It is especially sad that Diana’s closest friends like her children, Harry (a wide-eyed Freddie Spry) and William (Jack Nielen), are the latter who are old and have the consciousness to know- the one who has done wrong has become evil. (It’s also hard not to watch the film and wonder what moral questions exist even in doing a work like this when William and Harry are still alive and facing many of the same struggles as their mother. .Can Diana and her family really escape the camera?)
Spencer (NEON)
All Praise: Jonny GreenwoodThe score is a show. Greenwood is adept at creating anxiety through his orchestral orchestras – here, interestingly, he not only uses his natural source cords and trees but also allows things to fall into freeform jazz in many places. , unable to stop Diana’s spiral.
Some of the dream sequences are less effective, especially the parts of the climate scene where Diana catches fire through the memories of her life. Some of it feels like a fashion show (even if one is perfectly executed); the other moments seem like a forced expression of Diana as a free spirit. It’s a strange moment at the weight of the hand of a film without expert restraint.
The Judgment: Spencer open with a simple title card: A STORY OF THE REALITY. While what we see onscreen is never shown to be true, it is an interesting journey in the life of one of history’s most beloved figures. There are a few bright lights where Stewart’s resemblance to the latter Diana is shocking, but it’s not the hair and makeup that allow her to get lost in the role. She delivers the life that Diana truly is, enforcing moments of petulance, such as childish desire, stoicism, and panic alike.
Hopefully, this will put an end to those who continue to doubt Stewart’s skill set. May the world also continue to remember Diana for the way this film was made: as a young woman, and a mother, just doing as much as she could.
Where Is It Playing?: Spencer played at the Nashville Film Festival on Oct. 6 and comes in theaters Nov. 5.