VENICE 2021: Spencer

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There are not many directors working nowadays that would be well-suited to make a biopic about Diana Spencer. After all, Oliver Hirschbiegel already tried and failed miserably in 2013 with Diana starring Naomi Watts, producing a sappy, predictable, completely lifeless and borderline offensive portrayal of the Princess of Wales. However, hiring Pablo Larraín, who already proved his worth with the unconventional and sombre Jackie in making an elegant and unique drama, with a script penned by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight, is a stroke of genius.

Spencer sees Kristen Stewart deliver her finest career performance to date, as she fully becomes Lady Di both in looks and voice, losing herself in the performance and becoming truly spellbinding to watch. The Royal Family has been once again in the eye of world press with the way they treat the new entries in their group, and this film shows just how cruel, vicious, and uncomfortable they made Diana Spencer feel at the time.

Larraín and Knight take the commendable approach in telling the story as if it were a fairy tale, with strong gothic undertones and visuals, courtesy of jaw-droppingly beautiful cinematography that alternates carefully choreographed wide shots with intense handheld close-ups of Stewart. There is a definite sense of dread here, unavoidable when knowing Diana’s ultimate fate, and the script plays with expectations in a way that feels smart, not like Knight was simply crossing some references and foreshadowing out of a checklist. Seeing Spencer, embodied in such a tender and compassionate way both in front and behind the camera, live on screen, showing how destroyed her psyche was, unable to free herself from the constricting traditions of the Crown, sharing only but a few moments of joy and laughter with her children, is emotional in its own right. Add to that strong parallels between her and Anne Boleyn, both victims of jealous, cheating husbands, both ultimately forced to give their lives for being too different from the standards of the Royal Family.

Spencer is an impeccable film, so far the first truly excellent film to come out of the 78th Venice Film Festival. Genuine, heartfelt, gorgeously crafted, with flawless performances (Sally Hawkins and Sean Harris are but two standouts of the side cast), terrific attention to detail in costumes and production design, and an ending that gives her the power and strength to fight back against the future and verdict that was chosen for her by others. One of the most moving and downright best films that 2021 has delivered so far.