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Kristen Stewart: "Spencer"

 "Spencer" is in the news in part because it could lead to Kristen Stewart's first Oscar win.


(If she does win, I think she'll be the first openly gay leading actress to claim an Oscar. Yes, Jodie Foster has two Oscars--but Foster was secretive when she won. It's only recently that Foster's public persona has changed.)

"Spencer" is a fable "drawn from a true tragedy," and it begins with Di unmoored, on the road. She enters a cafe to ask, "Where the fuck am I?" It's clearly a metaphysical question, not just a literal question. The cafe patrons cannot bring themselves to speak; they actually can't make words with their mouths.

Having corrected her own course, Di is moved by a scarecrow from her childhood. She studies the scarecrow, then veers left to the palace. You have to weigh yourself before and after Christmas--to prove you enjoyed yourself with a weight gain of at least three pounds. This seems especially cruel because of Di's well-known bulimia. Di notes that the castle is cold, and a minion promises to send blankets. Di snaps, "There is also the option of turning up the heat....?"

You'd think this movie might focus on Di's relations with high-profile royals. (That's what we get from "The Crown.") But "Spencer" shows us the Queen just a bit; she is there to say, "Diana, the only portrait of you that will ever matter will be the one that ends up on currency. Currency matters."

Charles has a slight role, too. We see him smiling over dinner, while hissing, "Di, the fisherman caught that fish on your plate. The farmers harvested the grains for your bread. You might do them all the favor of not running out in five minutes, to spew your meal into a toilet bowl." Charles later assures Di that it's safe to go hunting....because the boys will wear protective eye gear.

And Di has a smart response: "If an activity is safe....why on Earth would it require protective eye gear?"

There is a thrilling descent into madness, with the ghost of Anne Boleyn, and an attempt to swallow large ornamental pearls, and a fight between Di and a wirecutter. ("Diana, why would you need wirecutters?" "It's not a difficult puzzle. I need the cutters to cut wire....")

Oddly enough, the movie has a happy ending, with a Third Act visit from Lesbian Love, and a pop soundtrack, and a memorable scene at a kind of Burger King. (This is the first and only time we hear the name SPENCER.)

I don't think this movie captures real history; it doesn't claim to attempt that. But I really felt for Di. And I smiled when she escaped from the palace.

I hope this movie finds an audience.
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