Spencer

The most interesting thing to come out of England is the royal family. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 My husband and his family are from there, and while I do not share his affinity with the country, we would be hard pressed to find anyone who was not affected by Princess Diana -- her life, and her death. 🙋🏻‍♀️ Countless documentaries and films have chronicled it -- the most popular being The Crown on Netflix. What a gem. 📺

Most of us have a somewhere between love/hate relationship with the royal family -- a history rich with drama and intrigue. 👀 Much of it revolves around Diana. Phrases like ‘revenge dress’ and ‘the people’s princess’ swirl around in our heads. 🤔 The latest film to portray her, playing in theatres right now is Spencer. And what a dark, dark tale it is. Struggling with her place in the royal family, and yearning for approval, we are immersed in a three day Christmas holiday she must be a part of, despite her troubled marriage. This film is not like the others. Rated R, it is haunting and psychological. We are taken inside Diana’s head, and the lonely, twisted reality she lived in. In the name of stifling tradition and propriety, she must simply “get in line”. And the panic one would feel from a realized life of such emotional imprisonment, comes across brilliantly. Mad respect for Kristen Stewart, fascinating as the lead, in a career defining role. 🏆 We truly believe that she is Diana. Surrounded by the royal family and staff, all soldiers, all in unison, marching to the beat of the queen, ignoring her palpable despair. Disturbing content. 😳

Spencer does a phenomenal job of combining the dream and magic that Princess Diana represented -- with servants at her beck and call, handpicked outfits for each segment of each day, and everything Chanel -- with the nightmare she actually was living. A ghost of sorts, who cannot see through the fog nor find the humanity she so desperately craves. 🙏🏽

Our world is plagued with turmoil and conflict. 🌍 There are much, much worse realities than those of the royal family. But we are still allowed to have feelings, good and bad, towards the crown. And while it is not for everyone, any of us still haunted by Diana should watch Spencer. In a tender scene, she finds solace from confiding in her personal assistant. She instantly feels lighter. A poignant display of how talking about our pain is so crucial to our mental and emotional state. Sharing our burdens, letting others in.

Not only helpful, but essential, to our very survival. ❤️