Movie review
November 4, 2021 · 116 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Spencer is a 2021 psychological drama depicting Princess Diana’s mental and emotional crisis during the 1991 Christmas holiday at Sandringham, as she confronts her failing marriage to Prince Charles and considers leaving the royal family. The film centers her bulimia, isolation, and hallucinations as symptoms of entrapment in a rigid institution, culminating in her assertion of motherhood and personal autonomy. It features strong recurring emphasis on patriarchal royal traditions as oppressive forces that crush individual well-being, particularly for women.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Spencer.
Woke representation / casting
Natural, historically fitting casting of white actors for 1991 British royal family roles with zero audience-visible forced diversity or identity signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Recurring personal confrontations critique royal emotional coldness and protocol, with Diana voicing frustration at institutional demands, though delivered as character drama rather than explicit activist rhetoric.
Identity-driven story themes
Central engine is Diana reclaiming her identity as mother and individual against royal duty and tradition, with hallucinations and breakdown symbolizing self-loss under systemic pressure.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Strong, recurring depiction of the monarchy as a patriarchal “elegant prison” that prioritizes tradition over well-being, framing Diana’s mental collapse and rebellion as direct response to institutional oppression.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
Fictional “fable” elements (Anne Boleyn ghost, heightened confrontations) amplify victimhood and institutional cruelty beyond strict record, though presented as interpretive rather than canon rewrite.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some royalist pushback over harsh family portrayal viewed as unfair, but coverage and social media show primarily artistic debates with minimal explicit “woke,” DEI, or identity-politics accusations.
Creator track record context
Larraín’s repeated focus on women navigating identity and trauma inside powerful traditional systems (“Jackie”) offers moderate alignment with the thematic emphasis here.
