Spencer, review: Kristen Stewart defies the odds in a cinematic fable.
It feels like yesterday when divisive reactions washed over the press and film community due to the casting of Kristen Stewart as one Princess Diana. Now we bear witness to some of the most rapturous acclaim the American actress has received in her career. A bold new chapter for the former teen idol, or blatant Oscar bait? Audience and community reactions beg to differ, but the critics have it right. Pablo Larraín’s Spencer comes from the most sincere breed of awards contender; one that stirs the soul in the most restrained yet unexpected ways.
The scene is December 1991. Diana, Princess of Wales, is simultaneously one of the most cherished, sought-after, and widely criticized people in the mass media. We as an audience witness her grappling with the expectations of her family, her contentious husband Prince Charles, being a part of her children's lives and grappling with her personal demons.
It’s been a long tradition for filmmakers to make “action movies with words” out of contained dramatic situations in a limited span of time, and Pablo’s film here, fed by the immaculate writing of U.K. auteur Steven Knight, is another title to add to these movies. There are also shades of Gus Van Sant (Elephant, Paranoid Park) in how both directors make the most of their slow-burn stride.
The way the story unfolds is, quite simply, pages from a biography brought to the silver screen in the best way. The filmmakers were even wise enough to address this film’s fable makeup in the opening title cards, and with that out of the way we witness a blistering psycho-drama that leaves us in questioning as the credits roll. Also, go in knowing that no conventional biopic afternotes are to be found here. Yes, history buffs will either endorse or tear into the historical liberties taken here. Time and time again people like myself take the best of cinematic historical fiction for what they are; movies equivalent to stage plays that exist to make a point, whether that’d be something about history, our human subjects, or moral principles.
Rarely has a film over the past few years, aside from exceptions like Uncut Gems, captured anxiety as shrewdly as Spencer. A dinner scene within the first 30 minutes is a prime example as Diana must hold herself together in front of her spoiled, dysfunctional family. The notorious mass media blitz that followed Diana for much of her professional life is kept to a minimum here, which also aids Pablo’s indie workmanship, and provides a new lens to the everlasting documentation and fiction around Diana and her royal family. A scene showcasing fellow members watching paparazzi close in on Diana during a church Christmas session is particularly glowing in melancholy and intensity.
I didn’t know until the closing credits that the impeccable score was composed by Johnny Greenwood. It’s both awards-worthy and flexible in many tones- at times it evocates British royalty typically heard in these kinds of movies, but it can also be blistering in suspense and psychologically troubling, plus there are even Jazz overtones in several scenes. French cinematographer Claire Mathon worked throughout the 2000s in short film territory to break into bigger and better prospects; she finally earned her due with Portrait of a Lady on Fire and proves that she’s not a one-hit-wonder here in Spencer. Her variety of wide-angle shots and prolonged takes is a wonder to behold, plus there’s a colorful, muted sheen that lends the film an earthly, dreamlike quality.
Kristen Stewart might continue to be a polarizing actress amongst evaluators of current cinema (the Twilight films certainly didn’t aid her nor Robert Pattinson), but she has proven her dedication to the most prestigious affairs in art-house cinema over the past several years. With all eyes on her in a role that numerous contemporaries would stake for, Stewart is not only serviceable as Diana- she excels. She’s simultaneously endearing, funny, shy, and can both show and tell her wide-ranging emotions. Her voice and makeup almost erase any trace of the public image of Kristen Stewart, except for one scene where she laughs alongside her companion Maggie, a royal dresser. We truly feel her yearning for a life beyond royalty, and the pain of being surveillanced 24/7 by the people she trusts most, not just the media circus.
While Stewart will likely clean house with accolades, the rest of the cast shouldn’t be ignored- Timothy Spall and Jack Farthing are both ominous in presence as Alistar Gregory and Charles respectively. Jack’s Charles is the best kind of unlikeable in just about every scene he’s in. The other standout is the aforementioned Maggie, played by Sally Hawkins. Mrs. Hawkins has been a U.K. cinema darling throughout the 2010s, and she earned her due in The Shape of Water. Despite her limited screentime here in Spencer, Diana’s yearning for her and Maggie’s bond when they’re together is captivating.
There’ve been case studies of when a highly publicized actor or actress takes on a role of biblical proportions to re-establish their credit in Tinseltown, only to set their career back several steps (not to mention the wrath of the Golden Raspberry Awards). Spencer and Kristen Stewart are not one of them because there’s a harmonious foundation of thought-out and sincere writing, and respectable talent in front of and behind the camera that makes Stewart’s contribution to Diana’s legend an essential cog of a well-oiled machine. Spencer is Oscar-worthy, not Oscar-bait, of the highest order.
