“Spencer”

from Backstage Magazine, Digital Edition: December 20, 2021 SAG Awards Film Issue

“Mass”

“Spencer”

MAIN CAST:Jack Farthing, Stella Gonet, Sean Harris, Sally Hawkins, Jack Nielen, Timothy Spall, Freddie Spry, Kristen Stewart CASTING BY:Amy Hubbard

DIRECTED BY: Pablo Larraín WRITTEN BY:Steven Knight DISTRIBUTED BY: Neon

THE INESCAPABLE CELEBRITY-BIOPIC GENRE

is riddled with cliches. That’s why Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer” is so refreshing. It doesn’t follow the formula of the surface-level portraits of famous faces that have taken home awards gold. Instead, it lets Kristen Stewart deliver a take on Princess Diana that is at once true to life and singularly her own.

“Spencer,” which announces itself as “a fable from a true tragedy,” takes place over three fretful days at Sandringham House, the countryside estate where Diana joins the royal family for Christmas celebrations. The year is 1991, and Diana has chosen to drive herself instead of being chauffeured—the first of many small decisions that put her at odds with palace protocol. In Stewart’s hands, the only time Diana seems comfortable is when she is free from the prying eyes of the royals’ many attendants who tell her what to wear and how to behave.

Like Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Kennedy in Larraín’s “Jackie,” Stewart is the film’s centerpiece. Surrounding her is an ensemble that gives texture to Diana’s existential crisis. Though Larraín keeps Prince Charles (Jack Farthing) on the periphery of the story, Diana decides by the movie’s end that she will leave the surly prince, who tends to hiss when he deigns to speak to her at all. Two people inadvertently help Diana make that scandalous decision: Sandringham’s head page (Timothy Spall) and the sole aide Diana trusts (Sally Hawkins).

Spall is a hulking presence in “Spencer,” casting a judgmental gaze over Diana’s turmoil. Despite being a veteran known for “Secrets & Lies,” “Sweeney Todd,” and the “Harry Potter” franchise, Spall has never received deserved awards recognition. His performance and Hawkins’ are what great supporting turns are all about. Spall becomes a foil to Stewart, practically stalking her to demand that she follow the rules of the house. He strikes a wise balance: restrained enough to be pleasant, but invasive enough to be off-putting.

Hawkins, meanwhile, occupies a juicier place in Diana’s inner circle. She plays Maggie, the royal dresser who’s tasked with putting the right clothing on Diana’s body at the right time. A two-time Oscar nominee (for “Blue Jasmine’’ and “The Shape of Water”), Hawkins brings a serenity to Maggie, making it immediately clear why Diana would choose her over the fussier, more stilted lackeys that populate Sandringham. The affectionate glimmer in Hawkins’ eyes is a relief for the princess. Narratively, she occupies a similar place to Greta Gerwig’s as Jacqueline’s longtime confidant Nancy Tuckerman in “Jackie.” Whenever Hawkins is onscreen, the audience knows the protagonist might at last find a moment of peace.

The remainder of the cast—namely Sean Harris as the head chef, Stella Gonet as Queen Elizabeth II, and talented newcomer Jack Nielen as a young Prince William—get their moments to shine as they counsel or console Diana. Everyone is working to keep her breakdown at bay, but few seem capable of actually caring for her. That tension heightens Stewart’s performance. Larraín’s frequent use of close-ups emphasizes the intensity of Diana’s situation, such as when she’s told that her bedroom curtains will be stitched together to prevent paparazzi shots. It is crazy-making, as if her access to the outside world has been stolen from her.

“Spencer” could potentially mark Stewart’s first major awards recognition, though she did earn a SAG nomination alongside the rest of the cast of “Into the Wild” in 2008. Even amid comparisons to Emma Corrin in the same role on “The Crown,” Stewart’s Diana is a master class. She captures the late royal’s uneasy gestures and breathy voice while avoiding the mimicry that can turn biopic performances into caricatures. This is the work of an actor who has come into her own. —MATTHEW JACOBS