THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Just because you like someone, doesn’t mean you know what they’re going through.
PLOT
Spencer takes place on the Christmas weekend of 1991 where the British royal family spend the Christmas holidays at the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk. Among the attendees Diana, Princess of Wales, wife of Prince Charles. Her marriage with him has become strained due to his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles (Emma Darwall Smith). On Christmas Eve, she avoids heading to Sandringham by driving around Norfolk countryside. She only heads her way after running into Royal Head Chef Darren McGrady. As she makes her way, she passes by her childhood home and takes a scarecrow's jacket that belonged to her father, John Spencer (8th Earl Spencer). Upon arrival, she mostly avoids socializing with the royal family, except her sons William (Jack Nielen) & Harry (Freddie Spry). The only friend she has at the estate is Royal Dresser Maggie who encourages her to stand up to them, while also fulfilling their expected obligations. Diana does find a book of Anne Boelyn (Amy Manson) in her bedroom and starts dreaming of her, believing that she is being haunted by her ghost, while also hallucinating of destroying a pearl necklace Charles gave her. After a Christmas Eve dinner, she tries to visit her childhood home, but is stopped by royal guards. On Christmas Day, she attends St Mary Magdalene Church with the family, but notices Camilla among the gathered crowd, photographed by journalists. After church, she tells Charles that she doesn't like how their sons will participate in a pheasant shoot, but he only advises her to separate her public & private lives. He even arranges Maggie to be sent to London, along with spreading rumors that she planted the Boleyn book and made comments of her mental health. Major Alistair Gregory does try to encourage her to conform to the pressures of royal life by reminding her that soldiers of the British Army die protecting the interests of the Crown. But Diana replies that she never asked for anyone to die for her. She then avoids Christmas Day dinner by running to her childhood home. She reminisces of how happy she was in her childhood and considers taking her life by throwing herself down a flight of stairs, but stops herself after another hallucination of Boleyn. Instead, she rips apart the pearl necklace. On Boxing Day, Diana wakes up and reunites with Maggie, who has been called back from London. They travel to a nearby beach and the princess discusses her marital & mental problems, while the dresser admits to being in love with her. While this surprises her, they still agree to be friends. When they bid farewell, Diana takes her sons out of the pheasant shoot, to which Charles reluctantly agrees. When she drives away with her boys, the old scarecrow is now dressed in one of her outfits. When they reach London, they eat fast food (KFC) by the Royal Thames. The film ends with Diana looking across the river, no longer feeling burdened by royal responsibility.
THOUGHTS
When I first saw the trailer to this film, I knew this was going to be special. So by the time I finally I got to see it, I am glad to say that this one exceeded my expectations. Writer Steven Knight and Director Pablo Larraín provide an astonishing story of isolation and liberation. If you don't believe me, then listening to Jonny Greenwood's score and taking notice of Claire Mathon's cinematography, then you'll definitely be feeling claustrophobic. The reason that we're supposed to feel this way is because it wants us to understand that no one should go through the situation of pretending to be someone they’re not, just to please others. You feel this through Kristen Stewart's breathtaking performance that rightfully dominated awards season. I almost mistook her as her actual character due to how she matched her mannerisms and is accurately dressed like her. In the shoes of Diana, she is going through a ringer of emotions because she is losing her grip, hating that despite being a princess, she lost her say with her own life. Even taking notice of her eating disorder proved that the glamour in royalty is only a mask of the truth. So seeing her leave the royal family is awe inspiring because she shows that being yourself is more important than impressing others. And seeing her sons leave with her makes it about motherhood as well, aside from identity because it shows how far a mother will go to protect her children. She refused to let them live as unhappy as she was, making it the best decision she'll ever make. Seeing her go against them was her chance to break free because there is no way she was gonna have them go through something they didn't want to do, which would only be a reflection of what she was going through. They gave her the warmth she needed to keep going while she could, so losing them was not an option. While she wasn't certain of what the future would hold, seeing her gain comfort once again by being herself is a satisfying ending no matter what. It may have been brief for her, but it was worth it. While Stewart is the reason this movie will be unforgettable, there are still other characters that keep it interesting. It's been clear beforehand that Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth were not the kindest to the princess, the origin of her discomfort and this movie further reminds viewers just that. So in their given time, both Jack Farthing and Stella Gonet make them just as intimidating, cruel and selfish as Diana remembered them. I also enjoyed Sean Harris as McGrady because he played the Royal Head Chef as a guy who naturally respected the princess and didn't let his job hide how he felt. He was honest to her, but not brutally like his superiors and that made him even more of a likable figure. Major Gregory may not be an actual character, but Timothy Spall makes an impact because he is a guy who respects tradition, yet is able to tell the princess to keep her guard up whenever he could. He does come off harsh, but is not intending to make Diana uncomfortable. The only other character to enjoy in this film is Maggie. She may be as fictional as Major Gregory, but Sally Hawkins brings the second resource of comfort that the princess needs. In short, Spencer is one of 2021's greatest movies for sharing a personal story that spoke the highest volumes, which I recommend to those who prefer the stories of personal triumph.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
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