A three day Christmas period in 1991 as Princess Diana, struggling with mental health and an eating disorder, finds herself at Sandringham with the in-laws.
An extraordinary tense three days as Diana (a rarely off-screen Kristen Stewart – Twilight, Seberg) is forced to deal with the traditions of royalty whilst barely speaking to a philandering Prince Charles (Jack Farthing – The Lost Daughter, Official Secrets) or the rest of the family. Whilst her children and staff below stairs (particularly Diana’s dresser, Maggie – Sally Hawkins, Maudie, The Shape of Water) provide a semblance of stability, it’s the haunting presence of the executed Anne Boleyn foremost in her mind.
A strident soundtrack, a vast impersonal Sandringham (Schloss Nordkirchen in Westphalia) and an oppressive, bullying Royal Equiry (Timothy Spall – Mr Turner, Denial) add to Diana’s sense of dislocation. This is not the Windsors of The Crown – director Pablo Larrain (Jackie, Neruda) returns the narrative firmly back to the cold, impersonal, tradition-oriented territory of Stephen Frears’ The Queen.
Nominated for the 2022 best actress Oscar.
Rating: 64%
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