4/5 stars “A fable from a true tragedy,” reads the caption at the start of Pablo Larraín’s Spencer , a look at the late Princess Diana. The Chilean filmmaker has already given us one microscopic character study of a powerful woman in crisis in Jackie , in which Natalie Portman played Jackie Kennedy fresh from the assassination of J.F.K. Here, Kristen Stewart stars as Diana. The year is 1991 and the British royal family is gathering at Sandringham for the traditional three-day festivities over Christmas. Diana is already unravelling, and Larraín does not hold back on showing her eating disorders and even, in one scene, self-harming. In a slightly more out-there moment – one that’s not entirely successful – she sees the ghost of Anne Boleyn, the wife of King Henry VIII who was beheaded. Phantoms of the past are prevalent in the script by Steven Knight ( Peaky Blinders ), not least her own childhood. Diana is obsessed by her nearby childhood home, Park House, now dilapidated and boarded up. Larraín largely holds back on characterising the other royals. Jack Farthing plays Prince Charles, but only has a handful of exchanges with Diana. She communicates more with the staff – the sympathetic head chef (Sean Harris), her kindly dresser Maggie (Sally Hawkins) and the Queen Mother’s equerry (Timothy Spall), who forever seems to be casting a watchful eye over her. “All rumours of my disintegration confirmed,” she says, at one point, and the film does a fine job of conveying her paranoia. A more daring alternative to Netflix’s popular show The Crown , Spencer tries, and largely succeeds, to get under Diana’s skin. The best scenes are tender moments with her “boys”, William and Harry, giving them secret presents to open on Christmas Day (tradition in the Royal household dictates all gifts be opened the day before). She also protests against William being forced to join the Boxing Day pheasant shoot, a small moment of triumph for her. Stewart is impressive, melting away at times to play this “magnet of madness”, as Diana calls herself. When you see her in front of baying photographers outside church, you can’t help but think the former Twilight star understands a little of these pressures. Credit to Larraín and his team too, who brilliantly recreate the world of the royals. Jacqueline Durran’s costumes are particularly exquisite. There’s even time for a little humour, from a line about masturbation to an airing of a classic Mike and the Mechanics track. Diana might well have approved. Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook