Watch Kristen Stewart Transform Into Princess Diana In The First Trailer For ‘Spencer’
It's a stunning transformation.
Spencer, the new drama directed by Pablo Larrain and starring Kristen Stewart as Lady Diana, advertises itself as a “fable.”
That won’t come as a surprise to those who saw Larrain’s last “royal” biopic, Jackie, which starred Natalie Portman as the long-suffering wife of JFK. That film had a dream-like, thoroughly strange quality to it, more like an ancient tale of Camelot and Arthurian legend than a conventional biopic.
News about Spencer has been scarce since the project was first announced, and the plot has only been described in oblique terms. Focusing on Princess Diana’s decision to end her marriage with Charles, Prince of Wales, the film is apparently set over a mere one-month period, Christmas, 1991. That puts it six years before Diana’s tragic death, a spectre that will presumably hang heavy over the film. After all, Larrain is the master of tragedy: his latest work, Ema, also dealt with the sad inevitability of marital discord and suffering.
The trailer, released overnight, is even looser on plot details; it’s more about the vibes, as Kristen Stewart thoroughly transforms into Princess Diana, her hair and her voice a precise mimicry of the deceased royal. Scored to portentous choral music, it shows off a fleeting sense of dread, as Stewart withdraws from the media and seeks solace in a world that has thoroughly turned its back on her.
Of course, it’s too early to begin guessing what impact that Spencer might have at the Academy Awards, but there is already considerable chatter online that Stewart might finally bag a little gold statue for her work in the film.
Watch the trailer in full here and decide for yourself:
There is currently no release date set for Spencer in Australia — we will update this story when more information comes to light. Here’s to hoping it’s soon.