Spencer

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a renowned figure is fodder for biographical adaptations. People get to tell stories of figures that may or may not want them told. One such figure is Diana, Princess of Wales, the focus of two critical duds bearing her name, one of which is a Broadway musical. Faring better is Pablo Larrain's portrait of Lady Di, which bears her maiden name of Spencer. Let's check it out.

Steven Knight's screenplay portrays "a fable from a true tragedy." It's 1991, and Diana (Kristen Stewart) is well into her royal tenure. She drives herself to Sandringham on Christmas Eve for a Royal Holiday gathering. It's anything but festive as her marriage to Charles (Jack Farthing) is cracking. Her childhood home is next door but that's not on her agenda. Her agenda is strictly regimented by Royal orders. She does find a few sympathetic servants, including her dresser Maggie (Sally Hawkins) and Major Gregory (Timothy Spall).

Diana's mental health starts cracking under the strain. She even hallucinates Anne Boleyn (Amy Manson), Henry VIII's executed third wife. Eventually, she decides to break free before she metaphorically or literally loses her head.

Editor Sebastián Sepúlveda helps us get inside her head. We see her daydream eating her pearl necklace, among other things. These moments feel (film) real until we see otherwise. I even expected a cruel twist ending when Diana takes her little Princes, William and Harry, to London, but that fortunately wasn't the case. Her imagining herself in various parts of her life at the end is a highlight reel for Jacqueline Durran's colorful costumes. The dour mood is helped by Jonny Greenwood's foreboding score and the foggy countryside filmed by Claire Mathon. 

We don't see all of Diana's royal life over 111 minutes. But we get the context over the three day plot. Her marriage to Charles is extravagantly sterile and full of pent-up resentment. Her lack of a personal life greatly frustrates her. She's at her happiest when she's with her sons or Maggie. Overall, Stewart's performance draws us in to Diana's life as much as the editing. Her Diana is a person and not a character, if you get the point.

There's a good supporting cast here. Farthing as Charles is stubbornly traditional, which makes the ending, where he acquiesces to Diana taking the boys to London, very surprising. Maggie is a sympathetic ear to Diana the Person, while Gregory is the same for Diana the Royal. Stella Gonet makes the most of her screentime as Queen Elizabeth, even indirectly supporting her royal wardrobe diversions. Finally, there's Sean Harris as the stern but fair head chef Darren McGrady.

Spencer is about a royal in turmoil. Its central performance is a strong hook into its theoretically true story. Of course the person was real, but a few events are creative license. I get the hype now that I've seen it. You might too if you see it. I'll get to another biopic real soon, but my next review is far from realistic. We'll see how it is.