The children’s choir rendition of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” still plays throughout the two minute, 32 seconds trailer of Pablo Larraín’s Princess Diana retelling Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart. The acclaimed filmmaker directed Natalie Portman in an Oscar winning performance as Jackie Kennedy in 2016’s Jackie. Stewart seems primed for an Academy Award nomination as this upcoming Oscar season rolls around.
We get a feeling of isolation and claustrophobia during this time in Diana’s life, with her dodging the press and taking long bathroom breaks to compose herself in front of the royal family which just so happens to be her own. The very thing that made her an icon caused her constant pain, which is illustrated through the melancholic yet vibrant cinematography of Claire Mathon.
Her mannerisms already feel Diana-esque, with her dance moves through the royal hallways and the constant sad look on her face. Her family are featured as well, including Jack Farthing as Prince Charles, Jack Nielen as Prince William, Timothy Spall as Major Alistair Gregory, and Sally Hawkins as Maggie, a close friend of the late Princess of Wales.
There’s definitely a shadow over this film cast by the hit Netflix series The Crown, which portrayed Diana in its latest season closer to the real life events that transpired from the day she met the heir apparent to the British throne to when their marriage falls apart.
The difference is Spencer takes liberties of what happened during her final days of her marriage, and is a reimagining of that era. The film hits theaters on November 5th.
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