There is something so sad about seeing someone getting pulled into a world that they are ill-prepared to deal with. From most available information Diana Frances Spencer was an affable and pleasant young woman before she got chewed up and spit out by the business machine that is the British Royal Family.
Things were not helping by her choice of partner. To say Prince Charles came with baggage is a severe understatement. His heart lie elsewhere and the marriage was little more than transactional. Her unhappiness after almost a decade in the circus is palpable in almost every scene. Director Pablo Larraín (Jackie and Ema) and Cinematographer Claire Mathon sell the bleakness with washed-out colours and grey skies.
With Hollywood typecasting in full swing, you know the type. Get me a grumpy old man, you mean J.K. Simmons? Kristen Stewart gets to strut her sullen stuff and she is perfectly cast. She effectively sells the unhappiness at the core of the People’s Princess. Not a bad job with the accent as well. Timothy Spall is also perfectly cast as Major Alistar Gregory. His ominous presence is unnerving.
In a nod to how oppressive and controlling that life had become for both Diana and her children William (Jack Nielen) and Harry (Freddie Spry) the simple act of going out for a junk food fix (in this case a visit to the ubiquitous KFC) is perceived as the ultimate act of freedom. That Di’s life arc ended so tragically only reinforces the pervading feeling of hopelessness and sorrow at the core of Spencer. She deserved better.
Rob Hudson
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