The first look trailer for Spencer, which stars Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana, is here, and judging by the reactions from the festival circuit, she is right at the front of the line for Best Actress Oscar contention. What we can discern from the two-minute trailer, she is mesmerizingly brilliant.
The November 5 release chronicles the life (through a focus on her later years) of a woman who fell in love with a life that turned on her and made her miserable beyond belief. This trailer shows that impeccably in just over 125 seconds. Stewart’s turn is also mind-blowing. She nails the accent, the tenor the way she carries herself, and how she was with her children.
The film focuses on one holiday weekend in particular which finds Diana “acting” around every single central member of the royal family and how it feels like a stranglehold around her neck instead of a holiday which it is supposed to be on many levels.
Stewart is joined in the cast by Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Sean Harris, and Jack Farthing.
Spencer is helmed by someone who knows a thing or two about portraying women in the spotlight who are there reluctantly. He directed Jackie with Natalie Portman, which was one of the best movies of that year.
The rest of the trailer depicts the film as a brooding period piece where Diana is being forced to conform by family, friends, and the media. Most of the footage is accompanied by a haunting cover of “Perfect Day” by Lou Reed, which is as soothing as it is nightmarish. On top of Stewart, Spencer stars Timothy Spall, Jack Farthing, Sean Harris, and Sally Hawkins.
Spencer is directed by Pablo Larraín from a script by Steven Knight. Larraín is perhaps best known for directing the 2016 biopic Jackie, which focuses on the days following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy through the eyes of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Knight has penned countless screenplays, including Eastern Promises, Locke, and Allied.
Here’s the official synopsis:
The marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles has long since grown cold. Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate. There’s eating and drinking, shooting, and hunting. Diana knows the game. But this year, things will be profoundly different. Spencer is an imagining of what might have happened during those few fateful days.