Spencer

‘Spencer’ is a hauntingly beautiful film plagued by poor dialogue

From her very first line — “Where the fuck am I?” — the Princess Diana depicted in Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín’s historical drama “Spencer” is established as gritty and unwilling to hold back. Scenic shots showing Diana driving disoriented in the English countryside make it clear that the Princess of Wales, played beautifully by Kristen Stewart, is lost. Literally, but also in spirit. As Diana gazes around at her surroundings, she asks a passerby, “How could I get lost in a place where I used to play?” This question epitomizes the tragic but heavy-handed dialogue that persists throughout the rest of the film. While “Spencer” features a stellar performance by Stewart, an appropriately eerie soundtrack and artful cinematography, the movie suffers greatly from a script that relies on cheesy metaphors and allows little room for subtext or interpretation from the audience.