2021 · 117 min · Drama, Biography, Historical
Spencer is Pablo Larraín's haunting portrait of Princess Diana over a single Christmas weekend in 1991 at the Sandringham Estate, as she contemplates leaving the royal family. Starring Kristen Stewart in an Oscar-nominated performance, the film is an impressionistic psychological study rather than a biopic, exploring Diana's isolation and the suffocating weight of royal expectation.
Spencer streams on Prime Video, included with any Amazon Prime subscription.
Kristen Stewart received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Spencer, though she did not win. Her performance is widely considered one of the finest of 2021.
Spencer is more impressionistic than historically accurate — director Pablo Larraín describes it as a fable. It captures the emotional reality of Diana's position rather than depicting specific documented events.
Both portray the British royal family, but Spencer is much more intimate and psychological — an art-house character study rather than a historical drama.
Pablo Larraín directed the film. He previously directed Jackie (2016), another impressionistic portrait of a famous woman in crisis, starring Natalie Portman.