Pablo Larraín’sSpencerwas a hugely divisive movie when it was first released in 2021, with many audiences dismissing the film’s surrealist and eccentric portrayal of Princess Diana’s life in the Royal Family. But in the years since, the film has aged brilliantly and many viewers have started to dissect Larraín’s metaphorical storytelling to understand exactly what the film is trying to say about obsession, fame, and self-perception.Spenceralso features an excellent cast, helmed by an Oscar-nominated Kristen Stewart in the lead role.
WithSpencernow available to stream on Netflix, many are revisiting the modern classic and finally giving it the credit that it deserves for its progressive and subversive writing.Spencertakes plenty of risks, portraying certain events in a very stylized and unnatural way,but Larraín does this for a clear purpose that becomes more evident as the film progresses. It’s a type of filmmaking that most directors wouldn’t dare to try, but several have broken these rules in the past.
WhenSpencerwas first released, the film was frequently compared to Sofia Coppola’s filmsbecause of its dark, sensitive depictions of femininity in modern society.The Beguiledis one of the director’s finest examples of this, touching on themes of repressed sexuality and what it means to be a woman in a man’s world. The story follows a Civil War soldier who seeks refuge in an all-girls boarding school, but things quickly turn dark when the young women are overcome with jealousy and lust.
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Much likeSpencer, Coppola’s period piece uses the enclosed location and tight storytelling to forge an extremely claustrophobic narrative, throwing all these characters together and letting their dynamic play out naturally. This is something that Larraín has shown a complete mastery of throughout his filmography; creating rich characters whose interweaved relationships help the audience get inside their heads and understand their psyches.
There’s an obvious thematic similarity between Frears’The Queenand Larrain’sSpencer, as they both deal with the British Royal Family as an institution — but there’s also a subtextual connection that’s less obvious to spot. These are both stories about important women under immense pressure, with each filmmaker offering an insightful (but often different) glimpse into their methods of navigating such expectations.
There are plenty ofmovies about the Royal Family, butThe QueenandSpencerare two of the most astute and reflective in recent memory.While Larraín paints Queen Elizabeth as the villain of Princess Diana’s story,The Queenmovie offers a much more empathetic and comfortable depiction of the late monarch, as she deals with the unprecedented circumstances and expectations placed upon the institution in the wake of Diana’s tragic death.
Jackiewas the first movie inPablo Larraín’s trilogy of 20th-century biopics, and it sets the stage for certain themes that will emerge as prevalent in all three movies. The narrative follows Jackie Kennedy in the days following her husband’s assassination in 1963, exploring how the event has impacted her mind and completely shifted the way she interacts with the world.
2016
88%
2021
83%
2024
76%
What’s most affecting aboutJackieis how empathetic and comprehensive Larrain’s understanding of this public figure is, treating her story with immense respect while bringing certain details into question with a maturity that’s rarely seen in historical biopics. Certainly elevating his filmmaking choices is the performance by Natalie Portman as the former First Lady. WhileJackieis not as refined as the movies that would follow in this trilogy, it’s a very strong start.
7Marie Antoinette (2006)
Directed By Sofia Coppola
Another of Sofia Coppola’s tales of modern feminism,Marie Antoinetteis an unconventional biopic of the Austrian princess who became one of France’s most controversial and outspoken figures. Much like Diana’s story inSpencer, this film paints an extremely complex and comprehensive portrait of life in the public eye, addressing all the intricate problems and traumas that can arise as a result. It’s a much less personal film thanSpencer, but it’s just as assertive in its social commentary.
Despite some mixed reviews,Marie Antoinetteis one ofSofia Coppola’s best movies, and arguably her strongest attempt at reconstructing the legacy of a real-life figure. While the film isn’t too concerned with historical accuracy (and certainly takes some creative liberties in this regard),it’s still a very educational project that uses such a unique and timeless figure as Marie Antoinette to hold a mirror up to modern society.
The third and final entry in Pablo Larraín’s trilogy,Mariarecounts the final days of iconic opera singer Maria Callas, as she struggles with her public image following the loss of her voice. All three movies have insightful commentary on the blurred lines between fame and obsession, using these women to highlight the dangers associated with celebrity lifestyles in today’s culture.Maria Callas is a brilliant subject to explore these themes, as her life was particularly plagued with outside pressure from her wide audience.
Most notably,Mariafeatures a staggering lead performance from Angelina Jolie, who totally disappears into this character and transforms her from a simple name on the page into a living, breathing figure with her own complexities.Jolie was tragically at the Oscars for herMariaperformance, which firmly ranks among her best to date. She understands Larraín’s cinematic style so inherently, capturing the figure in a way that few actresses could manage.
Adapted from Ian McEwan’s novel of the same name,Atonementis an extremely subversive and unpredictable story about love, jealousy, and secrecyset against the backdrop of wartime Britain. The film chronicles the budding romance between two lovers, played by James McAvoy and Keira Knightley, who are torn apart when the latter’s sister falsely accuses the former of an assault. Wright’s movie is a dark, harrowing exploration of how far people are willing to bend their morals to maintain their own comfort and peace.
While the narratives ofAtonementandSpencerare different, the two films have very similar tones and aesthetics that should appeal to similar audiences. They’re both atmospheric period pieces that use their romantic stories and gorgeous visuals to lull the audience into a false sense of security, before making a detour into a much darker, grittier story about betrayal and hatred.
Kitty Green’sThe Assistantmay not bear many similarities toSpenceron the surface, but they both adopt a familiar method of storytelling when it comes to portraying women’s daily struggles through the lens of a psychological thriller.The Assistantcenters around a young woman who lands a reputable job at a film production company but finds herself surrounded by abusive male figures who exploit her status for their own pleasure.
Kristen Stewart’s Diana Spencer Performance Isn’t Her Best Real-Life Role
Though Kristen Stewart gives a good performance as Princess Diana in the film Spencer, it isn’t the best real-life role the actress has portrayed.
Spencer’s emotional endingsees Diana’s story diverge from the traditional devices that Larraín employs in the first act, morphing into a dark and twisted experiment in surrealism that allows the traumas of the real-life princess to manifest in an extremely cinematic way. WhileThe Assistant’s subversive language is more subtle, it does a similar thing by using this character’s fears and agonies to experiment with the structure of a psychological thriller.
I’m Thinking Of Ending Thingsis another project that may not feel similar toSpencerupon first viewing, but after exploring some of the story’s deeper themes and dissecting the cryptic message behind Kaufman’s narrative, the connections between these two projects become much clearer.They’re both modern fairy tales about the horrors of being stuck inside your own mind, dwelling on self-image, and allowing these delusions to bleed through into reality.
Kaufman’s film chronicles the struggles of a young woman as she travels with her boyfriend to his parents' remote farm in the middle of winter, where she’s forced to reckon with important questions about their relationship and how she perceives herself in his life. It’s a very experimental, surrealist movie that requires multiple watches to fully understand, but Kaufman is ultimately saying many of the same things as Larraín regarding the constant pressure that women feel to live up to certain archetypes.
Black Swanis apsychological thriller that’s bound to mess with the audience’s head, also offering a narrative that seems ordinary on the surface but quickly becomes something much scarier as the true meaning of Aronofsky’s story eveals itself.The movie follows a talented ballet dancer named Nina who lands her dream role in an important performancebut begins to slip into madness when another ballerina threatens to replace her.
Black Swancarried Natalie Portman to her first Best Actress win at the Academy Awards.
At its core,Black Swanis a film about never feeling good enough in your own mind and constantly judging yourself by other people’s metrics, which is exactly how Larraín frames Diana’s journey inSpencer.Both films are evident criticisms of the toxic celebrity culture that constantly makes people feel unworthy of success and admiration, presented through the lens of macabre, surrealist thrillers.
AlthoughTARisn’t based on a real-life figure,the film is an extremely authentic and challenging portrait of famethat uses the fictional persona of Lydia Tar to explore how ambition can often stand in the way of true greatness. The story follows the titular character, a renowned musical composer, as she faces a wave of dangerous allegations that threaten her career.
BothSpencerandTARare films about fragile women in positions of power, though Larraín and Field depict these figures in totally different ways. They’re intricate, detailed character studies that place their protagonists at the center of the story from start to finish, allowing the world around them to mold them and illuminate the powerful messages of ambition and self-doubt that both films explore.
