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Beginning with the absence of one of Her Majesty’s most important royal guests during the winter of 1991 at the Queen’s Sandringham estate. That person is none other than the extremely chic, yet tragic icon that is Diana Spencer, the Princess of Wales.
The film starts on a pleasant note as Diana gets lost on her way to Sandringham. Also, there’s a fantastic, short line that occurs here that left the Venice audience in complete shock. Innocently, like a normal person, she stops and asks for directions. Yet, Diana doesn’t put much thought into how it’s rather uncommon for Royals to trudge around alone, like an everyday civilian. This is of great importance throughout the film as Diana is plunged into a hallucinogenic-like trance as she attempts to break free of the walls that enclose around her.
The film follows Diana (Kristen Stewart) as she attends the Royal family’s annual Christmas get together. The gathering includes eating three exquisite meals a day, opening Christmas presents, family photos and the men going out and shooting poor pheasants. However, Diana has little interest in the closed-in lifestyle that her so-called family lives. She feels more boxed in than ever as she enters the walls of Sandringham.
Spencer manages to be both unnervingly melancholic and joyful, especially as Pablo Larraín deftly ends off this nightmare-induced fable. Audience members will leave the film with a smile on their face, while having to wipe off the remnants of the tears from scenes prior. This is a testament to the mastery that Larraín shows throughout this film. Spencer is unabashedly bold as it brings an entirely new Diana to life, one that is incredibly raw and hasn’t been seen before in any past cinematic depiction. But what makes the film’s bold approach most interesting is the fact that Larraín isn’t English, one can’t help but feel that he brings a new sensibility to Diana’s story.
Kristen Stewart is unparalleled as Princess Diana; she nails absolutely everything. Whether it be: her accent, her posture or anything else, Stewart delivers. Simply put, it would be an absolute shocker if Stewart doesn’t get nominated, let alone win the Oscar. Talking of Oscar-worthiness, Portrait of a Lady on Fire cinematographer Claire Mathon’s shots are a thing of beauty. Mathon’s cinematography is a major part of Spencer’s DNA as it injects Diana into a stylistic, avant-garde world. Mathon chose to shoot on 16mm film which allowed her the ability to restrain the film’s colour palette to the sumptuous pastille colours seen throughout the film. Acting as a big contrast is all the haunting scenes with Anne Boleyn, which is an extremely accurate and powerful metaphor for Diana’s struggles.
Ultimately, Spencer takes a radically stylistic approach to its filmmaking which helps depict Princess Diana’s hardships in a new, refreshingly hopeful, while still sad, light. Without a doubt, Kristen Stewart is going to be non-stop talked about as she delivers a top-notch, career-best performance. Even though it’s heart wrenching to watch, the hopeful and optimistic note that Larraín takes adds to Diana’s iconic legacy. In the end, she is simply a mother, a human and not currency.
5/5 Stars – ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Written By: Ben Rolph (@TheDCTVshow)
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