This review contains SPOILERS!!
The uncanny circumstances and junctures that led to the unforeseen death of an illustrious personality who, despite being under the influence of the British Monarch, led her life in her own way is an age-old impasse looming around the contemporary world. This raging topic was the subject of numerous films. Spencer is distinctive when it comes to the script and the pitch of the movie. Albeit inspired by the real-life anecdotes the princess encounters, the script inclines to the fictional nuances of the odyssey from oppression to liberation.
Spencer is a 2021 movie directed by Pablo Larrain, starring Kristen Stewart as the supreme protagonist (Diana), supported by Jack Farthing (Charles), Sally Hawkins (Maggie), and Timothy Spall (Alistair Gregory). The movie begins with a metaphorical portrayal of the keenness and perfection with which the groceries are carried to the kitchen and the conspicuous silence maintained in the kitchen. These trials indicate the eerie and invincible coop surrounding the “Royal Palace” premise. Diana is portrayed as a morose princess whose marriage is on the brink of collapse. Out of these devastating predicaments, she even forgets the way to her childhood home. The Royal Palace has put in a facade to escape the haunting expeditions of the media during Christmas, as the tussle between Diana and the Royal Palace is no longer a secret.
The movie is a metaphorical manifestation of desolation and mental tensions experienced by Diana and the enigmatic atmosphere of the Royal Palace during the Christmas holiday. Furthermore, it exposes Diana’s deliberate transition from a person who approves of the atrocities of royal life to a person yearning for liberation. The movie displays various tropes of emotional distress, from pain to illusions to delusions and imagination, all being psychologically inclined toward each other. But sometimes, the spectators are confused about whether a scene is an intuition or reality in the movie. The scene where Diana broke the beads of the pearl gifted to her by her husband and swallowed them with her soup was metaphorically meant to deliver the unbridled ordeals she faced. Knowing that the same pearls were gifted to his lady love out of oblivion aggravates her plight more. It is a bit difficult to digest that this scene was an illusion of her own.
As we sail through these types of intuitive sets, all seem real. With her astounding acting skills, Kristen Stewart amasses a sterling aura to the protagonist, who is already a posthumous beacon of valor. She also adapts and delivers Diana’s posh accent meticulously. The style and flamboyant personality of Diana are impeccable too. The beautiful portrayal of Anne Boleyn, who shared the plights akin to Diana’s, rooted the story more. All the supporting casts were excellent in their roles.
The story is more fictional than factual, so the quantum of justice given to the tragic life of the princess is limited. The imagination and the liberation she encounters stand fictional and have nothing to do with her real life. The movie unveils the melancholic dilemma of the protagonist and how she finds solace in her offspring. The film could have been a bit more appealing if it had adhered to the true anecdotes of her life.