The most awaited day of the Venice Film Festival has arrived: today two of the titles that the public and insiders expected most of the whole event were presented, “Spencer” by Pablo Larraín and “Dune” by Denis Villeneuve.
The first, in competition, tells a few days in the life of Lady Diana, whose marriage with Prince Charles has been in crisis for some time. On the occasion of the Christmas holidays in the royal residence of Sandringham it seems that there may be an interlude of peace, but things will turn out differently than expected.
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He does not want to make a biographical film Pablo Larraín, who had already placed at the center of his works characters who really existed in “Neruda” (which thinks about the relationship between fiction and reality in an admirable way) and “Jackie” (in which a short period was told in the life of Jackie Kennedy, from her death to her husband’s funeral). Spencer’s approach is similar to the previous ones, with a narrative that tries to imagine what happened in those decisive days.
A great ghost movie
During the film, Diana repeatedly says she does not know where to find herself (the opening line is emblematic in this sense) and there are numerous references to the past, to traditions that are repeated identical every year (so much so that every anniversary is as if it had already been lived) and ghosts (from the spirit of Anna Bolena to Diana herself who defines herself as such in a fundamental sequence). It is no coincidence that the title of the film is the princess’s surname, because Diana tries to find herself and her own identity, also by leveraging the links with her family history.
Written by Steven Knight, «Spencer» is an excellent feature film, thanks to an elegant packaging and perfect editing times, as well as enhanced by the music of Jonny Greenwood and the intense interpretation of Kristen Stewart. Yet another confirmation that Pablo Larraín is one of the most significant authors of contemporary cinema.