Unable to perceive the shape of you, I find you all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with your love, It humbles my heart, for you are everywhere.
“Unable to perceive the shape of you, I find you all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with your love. It humbles my heart, for you are everywhere.“
Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, Sally Hawkins and Meryl Streep hugging during Frances McDormand’s inspirational speech after losing the leading actress award.
I FREAKING LOVE YOU KRISTEN STEWART! I’M JUST ROMANTICIZING YOU RN, WHAT DO YOU SAY? LOL. K, just breathe, in and out. This film is ☺ like this set of emojis. The cinematography, acting, visuals, symbols, script, settings, accuracy is a WIN! There are hilarious scenes and lunatic scenes, that will make you shift for both emotions. I literally cried because I just knew Princess Diana by her name but because of this film, at least something inside me has enlightened. I really enjoyed the freedom in this film. WAAAAHHHHHH, THE HALLUCINATION PARTS CONFUSED EVERYBODY FR! The necklace, Anne Boleyn, stairs and wire cutters!!! I don’t f care about those hate comments about this film, I just love everything. I want to know more about Princess Diana. May her soul will always be in peace. She’s a goddess and a real representation of a person with a kind heart. Wish that there’s a lot of Diana in this world. The representation of Sally Hawkins’ character was a I’m speechless for that. I really thought I’m watching an lgbtq film again haha. Overall, I’ll consider this my go-to film That Oscar nomination, get it babe✨
Imagine: You set up your two best friends, Harry Styles and Paddington Bear, on a date and they fall in love over their mutual appreciation for marmalade and good manners. Later on they invite you to their colorful quirky wedding where you meet Paddington’s Mom who has recently left her husband and is very appreciative to you for helping her son find love. You hit it off and she takes you on a romantic date in the sewers and draws pictures of you. You fall in love and move in together in a whimsical little flat next to Harry and Paddington’s marmalade shop where you both also work.
“Spencer” is a meditation on practical, private horrors.
Review includes discussions of disordered eating, anorexia, bulimia, and mentions of self-harm.
***Spoilers***
Spencer is directed by Pablo Larraín who also helmed “Jackie.” He takes a story we’re familiar with, JFK’s assassination, and presents it as a murder. In “Jackie” a woman witnesses her husband get murdered right in front of her. She has to deal with the practical fallout e.g. where will we live, where will the kids go to school, how will I get a job. She has obvious advantages but in the face of personal trauma she is bound to struggle.
“Spencer” is a similar meditation on practical, private horrors. Diana is a woman who would really benefit from divorcing a checked-out, loser husband and ditching in-laws that are at best indifferent and at worst saboteurs. She is coping by controlling what she can resulting in self-harm, impulsivity, and an eating disorder. Like “Jackie” we’re presented with a captivating performance of an historical figure and attention to the details of the period, but it’s really about a woman realizing she has to get divorced in order to have some hope of future happiness.
Except, uh oh, she’s a princess. Diana ruminates on the fact that she’s married into a family descended from a man who murdered his wives. The monarchy is a multigenerational shit-show and deciding how to get out is agonizing. Despite being young, white, attractive, intelligent, and wealthy, she’s overwhelmed.
“Spencer” is a devastating depiction of anorexia and bulimia, succeeding in showing why someone would engage in disordered eating and how the behavior manifests. There’s a moment where Diana raids the fridge late at night. She’s dressed in jeans and a sweater, an outfit that for most of the world would be fine to wear to a family dinner, but here she’s out of place. She finds it impossible to eat in front of others, so here’s a moment at the end of the day where she can be in and out of control in the same moment. The horror of her being interrupted in this intimate act is hard to overstate.
There’s another moment when Charles says that the bees made the honey and the cooks worked on this and you could, you know, not vomit as a thank you. It’s a horrible thing to say. It stands in contrast with the head chef who tells Diana about the waste from the food prep, specifically from the pheasant hunt. He doesn’t belabor the point but in mentioning there is food waste, we touch on something related to disordered eating. Once you eat food it’s garbage. Someone trying to stop purging should be absolved from feeling like they’re wasting food. It’s garbage at that point. Really dealing with food waste and food insecurity is important, but torturing yourself with guilt in addition to being bulimic doesn’t help.
All around incredible cast. Kristen Stewart deserves every good thing said about her. Timothy Spall is a monster. Sean Harris shows his range by playing nice. And Sally Hawkins is great. This movie made me think that if Sally Hawkins hugged you, your problems would go away for a half hour.
