'Spencer' shows off Kristen Stewart in a 'fable' about Diana's break from the Royals
CNN
Kristen Stewart's fierce, attention-grabbing work as Princess Diana really ought to be viewed independently of "Spencer," described as "a fable from a true tragedy" that presents a pivotal weekend in Princess Diana's split from the Royal Family. That is, it's possible to admire the performance and still come away feeling director Pablo Larrain's fictionalized movie doesn't significantly add to a story many of us already know in exhaustive detail.
Larrain, notably, offered a similar take on American royalty with "Jackie," which starred Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy. In what is becoming his anthology of famous women facing crises, he has created another strong showcase for the star while crafting a movie that's a little too precious for its own good.
"Spencer" (Diana's surname, for any who have forgotten) takes off in speculative ways based on a real moment, when Diana spent Christmas weekend with the Royals at the Queen's Sandringham Estate as her marriage to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing) was crumbling. Arriving late, she's alternately depressed and defiant, well aware that all eyes are on her even before being warned that the press is "circling us."
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President Joe Biden warned against a streak of “semi-isolationism” in the US as he stressed the importance of alliances during a symbolic visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery on Sunday, honoring the thousands of Americans who died in World War I at a site former President Donald Trump skipped during a 2018 visit to Paris.