Review of Spencer (2021) by Rebecca31 — 28 Dec 2021

Set during Princess Diana’s Christmas holidays with the royal family at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England. Diana is struggling with mental health issues leading up to her divorce from Prince Charles.

Immediately I just need to say that Kristen Stewart is absolutely brilliant in Spencer and that’s quite high praise coming from me. I can’t say I rated her as an actress and I really haven’t seen her in anything since a certain overrated vampire franchise. She has clearly come a long way since then and shows her incredible acting abilities as the deeply unhappy Diana. The entire film is set over the course of three days which allows you to descend into the lonely, paranoid and claustrophobic environment Diana was living in at the time. It’s made all the more uncomfortable with the use of music, particularly the dissonance strings that will really set you on edge. I didn’t think Jonny Greenwood could top his Phantom Thread score but the music for Spencer is absolutely stunning. Very much elevating the haunting and unsettling atmosphere. If like me you’re not exactly overly familiar with the history of the royal family or anything that goes on in The Crown don’t let that stop you from seeing Spencer.

I didn’t expect to like Spencer as much as I did but it’s truly a wonderful film, expertly made with a standout performance from Kristen Stewart. A thought-provoking tragedy that’s not to be missed. It’s also technically a Christmas movie so if you’ve managed to cross every other Christmas movie on your list be sure to check it out. Highly recommended.