Spencer
Pablo Larraín’sSpencerwas a hugely dissentious picture show when it was first released in 2021 , with many audience dismiss the picture ’s surrealist and flaky characterization of Princess Diana ’s living in the Royal Family . But in the years since , the film has age brilliantly and many viewers have started to break down Larraín ’s metaphoric storytelling to see precisely what the film is judge to say about fixation , fame , and self - perception . Spenceralso features an splendid cast , helmed by an Oscar - nominate Kristen Stewart in the lead function .
WithSpencernow available to stream on Netflix , many are revisiting the modern classic and lastly give it the mention that it merit for its progressive and insurgent piece of writing . Spencertakes plenty of endangerment , portraying sure outcome in a very conventionalized and unnatural way , but Larraín does this for a open purpose that becomes more observable as the film progresses . It ’s a type of filmmaking that most directors would n’t dare to assay , but several have break away these rules in the past .
10The Beguiled (2017)
Directed By Sofia Coppola
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WhenSpencerwas first released , the film was oft compared to Sofia Coppola ’s filmsbecause of its dark , sensitive depictions of femininity in modern society . The Beguiledis one of the director ’s finest examples of this , touching on theme of pent-up gender and what it means to be a adult female in a man ’s world . The story follows a Civil War soldier who assay asylum in an all - girl embarkment school , but thing promptly work dark when the immature woman are overcome with jealousy and lust .
Francis Ford Coppola reveals which one of conductor Sofia Coppola ’s movies is his favorite , praising his daughter ’s organic structure of study as a whole .
Much likeSpencer , Coppola ’s period piece uses the enclosed localization and besotted storytelling to fashion an highly claustrophobic narrative , throwing all these characters together and let their dynamic run out naturally . This is something that Larraín has show a utter mastery of throughout his filmography ; creating ample characters whose interweaved relationships help the audience get inside their heads and understand their psyches .
9The Queen (2006)
Directed By Stephen Frears
There ’s an obvious thematic law of similarity between Frears’The Queenand Larrain’sSpencer , as they both deal with the British Royal Family as an institution — but there ’s also a subtextual connexion that ’s less obvious to spy . These are both story about important women under immense pressure level , with each film producer offer an insightful ( but often different ) coup d’oeil into their methods of navigating such expectation .
There are plenty ofmovies about the Royal Family , butThe QueenandSpencerare two of the most astute and reflective in late memory . While Larraín paints Queen Elizabeth as the villain of Princess Diana ’s story , The Queenmovie offer a much more empathetic and well-heeled depiction of the late monarch , as she deals with the unprecedented circumstances and expectations placed upon the institution in the aftermath of Diana ’s tragical last .
8Jackie (2016)
Directed By Pablo Larraín
Jackiewas the first moving picture inPablo Larraín ’s trilogy of twentieth - 100 biopics , and it determine the stage for sure theme that will egress as prevalent in all three movies . The story follows Jackie Kennedy in the days following her husband ’s character assassination in 1963 , exploring how the issue has impact her head and completely shifted the way she interact with the populace .
Pablo Larraín ’s 20th Century Women Movies
Release class
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Jackie
2016
88 %
2021
83 %
Maria
2024
76 %
What ’s most affecting aboutJackieis how empathetic and comprehensive Larrain ’s understanding of this public figure is , treat her story with Brobdingnagian respect while bringing certain details into query with a maturity that ’s seldom seen in diachronic biopics . Certainly elevating his filmmaking choices is the public presentation by Natalie Portman as the former First Lady . WhileJackieis not as refine as the movie that would follow in this trilogy , it ’s a very stiff startle .
7Marie Antoinette (2006)
Another of Sofia Coppola ’s taradiddle of modern women’s lib , Marie Antoinetteis an unconventional biopic of the Austrian princess who became one of France ’s most controversial and frank figures . Much like Diana ’s news report inSpencer , this film paint an extremely complex and comprehensive portrayal of life in the public eye , addressing all the intricate trouble and traumas that can arise as a result . It ’s a much less personal pic thanSpencer , but it ’s just as assertive in its social comment .
Despite some interracial reviews , Marie Antoinetteis one ofSofia Coppola ’s best movies , and arguably her strongest endeavour at redo the bequest of a genuine - liveliness figure . While the movie is n’t too concerned with historical truth ( and certainly take some creative liberties in this regard),it ’s still a very educational project that use such a unique and timeless figure as Marie Antoinette to hold a mirror up to modern fellowship .
6Maria (2024)
The third and final entry in Pablo Larraín ’s trilogy , Mariarecounts the final Clarence Day of iconic opera house Isaac M. Singer Maria Callas , as she struggles with her public image following the loss of her voice . All three movies have insightful commentary on the blurred railway line between fame and obsession , using these women to highlight the risk associated with fame lifestyles in today ’s culture . Maria Callas is a magnificent study to search these themes , as her life was particularly plagued with outside pressing from her wide audience .
Most notably , Mariafeatures a stupefying lead performance from Angelina Jolie , who wholly disappears into this character and transmute her from a round-eyed name on the page into a keep , breathing figure with her own complexities . Jolie was tragically at the Oscars for herMariaperformance , which unwaveringly ranks among her best to date . She realise Larraín ’s cinematic manner so inherently , catch the figure in a room that few actress could manage .
5Atonement (2007)
Directed By Joe Wright
conform from Ian McEwan ’s novel of the same name , Atonementis an extremely subversive and unpredictable write up about love life , jealousy , and secrecyset against the backcloth of wartime Britain . The film chronicles the budding romanticism between two lovers , played by James McAvoy and Keira Knightley , who are torn apart when the latter ’s sister falsely accuses the former of an ravishment . Wright ’s pic is a dingy , harrowing geographic expedition of how far people are willing to bend their ethics to keep their own comfort and peace .
While the narratives ofAtonementandSpencerare different , the two films have very similar tones and aesthetics that should appeal to similar audiences . They ’re both atmospheric period pieces that use their romantic stories and gorgeous visuals to lull the audience into a simulated signified of security , before making a roundabout way into a much darker , granular story about betrayal and hate .
4The Assistant (2019)
Directed By Kitty Green
Kitty Green’sThe Assistantmay not bear many similarity toSpenceron the airfoil , but they both adopt a familiar method of storytelling when it comes to portraying cleaning lady ’s day-to-day struggle through the lens system of a psychological thriller . The Assistantcenters around a young woman who lands a reputable job at a film production company but finds herself surrounded by scurrilous manful public figure who work her position for their own pleasance .
Though Kristen Stewart gives a honest execution as Princess Diana in the film Spencer , it is n’t the best real - life role the actress has portrayed .
Spencer ’s excited endingsees Diana ’s news report diverge from the traditional gadget that Larraín hire in the first act , morphing into a dark and misrepresented experiment in surrealism that allows the traumas of the literal - life princess to manifest in an extremely cinematic way . WhileThe Assistant ’s subversive language is more elusive , it does a similar matter by using this quality ’s fears and agonies to experiment with the body structure of a psychological thriller .
3I’m Thinking Of Ending Things (2020)
Directed By Charlie Kaufman
I ’m Thinking Of Ending Thingsis another project that may not feel similar toSpencerupon first viewing , but after exploring some of the story ’s cryptic paper and dissecting the cryptical message behind Kaufman ’s narration , the connections between these two undertaking become much percipient . They’re both modernistic fairy tales about the repugnance of being stuck inside your own creative thinker , dwell on ego - image , and allowing these illusion to run through into reality .
Kaufman ’s motion picture chronicle the struggles of a untested woman as she travels with her boyfriend to his parents ' remote farm in the eye of wintertime , where she ’s forced to reckon with important questions about their relationship and how she perceive herself in his liveliness . It ’s a very experimental , surrealist motion-picture show that ask multiple vigil to fully understand , but Kaufman is in the end allege many of the same things as Larraín regarding the constant force per unit area that woman feel to survive up to sure archetypes .
2Black Swan (2010)
Directed By Darren Aronofsky
Black Swanis apsychological thriller that ’s hold fast to mess with the hearing ’s head , also offer a tale that seems average on the surface but apace becomes something much scarier as the truthful significance of Aronofsky ’s story eveals itself . The movie follows a talented ballet dancer named Nina who land her dream role in an important performancebut get down to dislocate into rabidity when another danseuse imperil to replace her .
Black Swancarried Natalie Portman to her first Best Actress win at the Academy Awards .
At its essence , Black Swanis a film about never feel good enough in your own mind and constantly label yourself by other people ’s metric , which is just how Larraín frames Diana ’s journey inSpencer . Both films are discernible criticisms of the toxic celebrity civilisation that always makes people finger slimy of success and admiration , presented through the electron lens of macabre , surrealist thriller .
1TAR (2022)
Directed By Todd Field
AlthoughTARisn’t based on a real - lifespan flesh , the film is an extremely unquestionable and challenging portrait of famethat uses the fictional persona of Lydia Tar to explore how ambition can often stand in the room of genuine greatness . The tale follows the titular character , a famous melodic composer , as she faces a wafture of dangerous allegation that peril her calling .
BothSpencerandTARare film about tenuous women in positions of power , though Larraín and Field depict these figures in entirely different ways . They ’re intricate , detailed grapheme studies that place their admirer at the center of the story from starting time to finish , countenance the world around them to mold them and sort out the powerful messages of ambition and ego - dubiousness that both cinema explore .
