Pablo Larraín
Spencer

No one is above Tradition

A FAIRY TALE FROM A TRUE TRAGEDY

The story of a normal girl, suddenly caught in a time loop, and whose story ended as we all know. Unfortunately.

"Here there is only one time. There is no future. The past and the present are the same thing."

The British monarchy is a dimension suspended in time. A world of traditions and rituals within modernity. Indeed, present and past are the only dimensions in the film, and the dialogue between these two times represents the most beautiful moments of a film that is, in any case, splendid and fully successful.

THREE DAYS IN THE LIFE OF DIANA

Spencer is not a biopic. Let’s clarify this right away, for those who might approach the film without knowing the director’s previous works.

Larraín is accustomed to delving into power, but above all to stories that are suspended where reality and fiction dialogue and become one the consequence of the other. The creation of a myth through media narration to leave to posterity, the fictional characters created by the historical context and the mind of a poet. All of Larraín’s cinema (but especially from the masterpiece Neruda onwards) is a dimension suspended in time and space. And a fairy tale drawn from the tragedy of reality.

THE SAD PRINCESS

After Jackie, Larraín draws another extraordinary female portrait, directly from reality. To transform it into something else. To mold his own fairy tale upon it.

Spencer is a story of ghosts and imprisonment to escape from. A highly suggestive and visionary parallel is presented between Diana and Anne Boleyn, and their respective eras. In a cycle of courses and appeals and eternal repetition to be avoided, if possible. Breaking the curse, the circle, symbolically represented by the pearl necklace that Diana cannot bear. Knowing it was given by her husband both to her and to the mistress of the heir to the throne. An omen, a symbol to destroy and get rid of.

Spencer is a costume drama set in contemporary times; and regarding this discussion on courses and appeals, a comparison comes to mind with The Favourite. Lanthimos’ film depicted the affair of Queen Anne of Great Britain, in the early 1700s. And, despite the relative differences of the case, ultimately, drama linked to the absence of freedom and the chains of tradition and the royal family is always the same.

ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE

Larraín neither speculates nor proposes theories. The tragic ending of Lady D's story is not staged. The princess is given a happy ending, where she will succeed, at least for a moment, in the miracle of escaping the loop of Sandringham House (the private residence of the royal family, the setting of the film). A little trip into modernity with a view to the future. That dimension until then denied to her and the two sons, William and Harry.

Kristen Stewart, nominated for an Oscar as best actress (unfortunately later won by Chastain), delivers the performance of her life. Just as Natalie Portman did before in Jackie. And she confirms herself as an excellent actress, continuing her artistic growth parallel to that of her former vampire colleague Pattinson.

Larraín does not disappoint. He remains among the most important contemporary authors, gifting another gem. Other moments of great cinema. And credit must also be given to the perfect screenplay by Steven Knight, the well-known author of Peaky Blinders.