Len Ramsey

Long. Really, really unnecessarily long. For example, a witness describes a killing and then the scene is played out. Do one or the other. Both are not necessary. I read the book. The book was interesting and so was this for about the first hour but it goes on for three and a half. I kept pausing the movie to see how much was left. Too much. Honestly, if you want to find out about the Osage Murders, read the book. The movie will just bore you and muddle the facts.

Spencer, if you didn’t know, was Princess Diana’s maiden name. She’s played by Kristen Stewart who received an academy award nomination for the role and many other awards. The movie begins with two parallel scenes. In the first, Diana is driving to Sandringham Estate in 1991 where the family is spending Christmas. In the other, the chef and his staff are preparing for the Christmas meals. The movie begins and ends with conversations between the chef and Diana. The story takes place over three days: Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing Day and focuses totally on the claustrophobic existence of Diana. Nothing is hers. Not what she’s eat, when she’ll eat or what she’ll wear to eat and, for some reason, she’s developed an eating disorder. She has a favourite maid played by Sally Hawkins who provides Diana with her only sense of self. So, naturally, they send her away after the first day and Diana is left to drift. She is seen as having a strong affection for her Andrew and Harry and they for her which can only make one wonder the impact her death must have had on the boys. It’s a powerful story about an individual’s need for agency in a world that others might perceive as idyllic. A difficult watch but worth the effort. Ms. Stewart definitely deserved the nomination if not the award.