Spencer is like observing someone else as they experience ennui

Not every movie has to be great. I am fully down for a movie that is just outfits and wigs. I submit to you House of Gucci, which is outfits and wigs and accent work that makes me think that both Lady Gaga and Adam Driver owe the people of Italy a personal apology. I digress, Spencer is also an outfits and wigs movie which is to be expected of any movie about Princess Di.

The costume work is beautiful and Stewart is great. I don't like those vampire movies but the rest of her work has been fairly impressive. If you get a chance check out The Clouds of Sils Maria for proof of her talent. It's a moody moor in Scotland that is the focus of the story which plays out over 3 days at Christmas.

The big bads are of course the Royals, who simper and side-eye their way through dinners and decadent desserts that Diana excuses herself for. They wait and they watch, and they judge.

I wanted to see this movie specifically because the director Pablo Larraín is known for his portrayal of military dictatorship in his native Chile and I was curious to see how that would translate to Diana's story of personal isolation at the hands of "The Institution".

The sense of oppression is palpable and much of the film is spent in roiling discomfort as we watch the young girl navigate a world seemingly calibrated to trip her up.

However, watching this movie is like watching a Kanye West video: it's beautiful, everyone has an interesting outfit, but it ultimately makes you less sympathetic to the millionaire at the center of everything.

Sally Hawkins however is a vision. Stewart's performance is entrancing to watch-- but it is truly Hawkins who steals the show. She haunts the periphery as Diana's dresser who shares stolen moments with Lady Di. She has maybe 5 minutes worth of dialogue in total and in those few seconds she manages to walk away with the whole film.