Auto-biography movies are touchy subject matters, because of the people they illustrate on the screen. In this particular film, it's about the late Princess Diana. Who has quite a history of the paparazzi following her, not because of just her ties with the royal family but what she does outside of them.
Her private life is not the kind that historians love to read about, because of the controversy surrounding them. She was a tragic figure who met her tragic end in a car accident at 1997. In fact, her death has changed how the news media work, with California state passing a new law against trespassing territory for anybody working for tabloids or news media.
This film revolves around a family meeting, just 6 years before that event, taking place in the Queen's Sandringham Estate. Where all the Queen's families came for a gathering. Including the Princess of Wales herself, required attendance due to her marriage with Prince Charles and for her two sons. What ensues is her emotional downward spiral as she has a largely difficult time joining the royal family in their events due to differences in beliefs, cultures and due to the constant paranoia from the perception of herself created by the paparazzi.
The film's production took place after a script was penned by Steven Knight. Who also wrote on Taboo and Peaky Blinders TV series. The film director picked was Pablo Larraín, whose prior auto-bio film was Jackie. Kristen Stewart was cast for the lead, while the supporting roles were given to Timothy Spall, Sally Hawkins, and Sean Harris.
Filming began in Schlosshotel Kronberg, Germany, some other footage were also taken in other areas in Germany. Before the final shooting was done within the UK. Wrapping up in April 2021.
The costume designer, Guy Hendrix Dyas meticulously crafted the dresses with the Princess's mental state in mind. Each scene captures the harrowing inner struggle she goes through. A lot of allusions brought with the costume design as well as the cinematography.
Spencer, aptly named after Diane's surname was made to be a powerful film that captures the essence of Diana while also paving the path for her emotional journey. Several production companies, including FilmNation, worked on this project, with distribution done by 3 different companies for both US and UK.
Spencer is an emotional rollercoaster, with top-notch performance from all the cast that brings a lot of depth to the characters portrayed. Kristen Stewart helds up a lot on her own, as she takes the role of a troubled Diana, who undergoes not only identity crisis, but creates a lot of distance between her and the royal family, and you start seeing why.
The close-up shots of her create poignancy about her deteriorating mental state, giving us a good closer look at how the Princess of Wales has a hard time maintaining face with both the public and with the queen's family. But it's also possible to see someone vulnerable, who just wants to be herself without the prying eyes of others.
This movie does a good job of also showcasing Diana for the flawed, yet a great person that she was. She loved her kids, wanted to set better examples other than going out hunting for birds, and also calls out on the practices of royal family, including how they maintain their image. Suffice it to say, in real life she disagreed with the royal family on a number of different things and was a bit of a fish out of the water.
Kristen Stewart, while I had a difficult time buying her accent at first, as soon as I delved closer into her acting, I started to only realize that she was expressing herself in a sense that Diana would if she was emotionally withdrawn. That and her voice also add more complexity to the portrayal. Her accent was acceptable, past that however, Stewart brought an amazing performance.
A lot of the casts were believable in their roles, which were based on real-life people. Including the likes of Prince Charles, and Stella Gonet, playing as Queen Elizabeth.
This isn't the kind of film anybody would watch, because not everybody is too keen on knowing about what happened in Princess Diana's life these days. But even if you didn't, it does a good job of being an autobiography about a woman going through a turbulent time in her life before unshackling herself from everything. Amazing cinematography and good writing make a whole lot of difference in bringing a person to life.
I think we can all agree that making fun of Stewart for her Twilight years is getting pretty old these days. She's obviously matured a lot as an actress. But also a brilliant film that explores a person that was once revered for her kindness, empathy, and general way of expressing herself.
There's little to no mystery and suspense. It's full on an emotional film that thoroughly explores what it's like to be part of something big but also dealing how the media portrays her and how her family tries to subjugate her into following the line she doesn't want to tiptoe through anymore.
It's a much familiar film like Pablo Larraín's Jackie when it comes to exploring powerful women's most vulnerable moment of their life. Really did like this film, though it take awhile before things get really interesting by the 2nd act.