Spencer
During a suffocating Christmas retreat with the royal family, Diana fights to reclaim her identity from a collapsing marriage and the institution surrounding it.
Overview
A poignant exploration of a royal's inner turmoil during a fateful holiday season.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- paranoid
- oppressive
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film's idiosyncratic and disturbing subjectivity uneven but strongly anchored by Kristen Stewart's finely modulated performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Christmas weekend is experienced almost entirely through Diana's perceptions, fears, visions, and mounting mental distress.
Diana is confined within the royal estate's schedules, etiquette, security, and family expectations during the Christmas gathering.
The estate's formal meals, clothing requirements, hunting traditions, and Christmas procedures repeatedly regulate Diana's body and behavior.
The title invokes Diana's family name, Spencer, as she resists the role and expectations attached to being Princess of Wales.
Films like Spencer, and why
Jackie
shared intimate biographical drama, psychologically subjective perspective, and central performance-driven portrait of a famous woman under institutional pressure
The Queen
shared melancholic royal-family drama, formal stylization, and focus on a woman negotiating public identity and private grief
The Assistant
shared oppressive period atmosphere, psychological unraveling, and emotionally claustrophobic character study
The Favourite
shared aristocratic setting, marital entrapment, and heightened tragic drama centered on a woman seeking autonomy
Movie Details
- Director
- Pablo Larraín
- Release Date
- 2021-11-04
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (1871)
Cast
- Kristen Stewart
- Timothy Spall
- Jack Nielen
- Freddie Spry
- Jack Farthing
- Sean Harris
- Stella Gonet
- Richard Sammel
- Elizabeth Berrington
- Lore Stefanek
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Spencer about?
- During a suffocating Christmas retreat with the royal family, Diana fights to reclaim her identity from a collapsing marriage and the institution surrounding it.
- What is Spencer like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Spencer as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Spencer violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Spencer.
- What did critics think of Spencer?
- Critics broadly found the film's idiosyncratic and disturbing subjectivity uneven but strongly anchored by Kristen Stewart's finely modulated performance.
- Which films are like Spencer?
- Films with a similar feel include Jackie, The Queen, The Assistant, and The Favourite.
- How long is Spencer?
- Spencer runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch Spencer?
- In United States, Spencer is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
