I’ve been thinking and writing about a lot of heavy things lately. Maybe it’s a good time for a movie review. I saw The Queen on a plane, and was pleasantly surprised, as it is not a movie I think I would have sought out on my own. I’m not the least bit interested in the British monarchy. Maybe I liked it more than I normally would have because it was free.

Many people believe that we are currently experiencing a shift from a “modern” to a “postmodern” era. I think that is what this film is about. It is about how England, in general, and this Queen, in particular, are navigating this cultural shift. The stoic, distant, out-of-touch Queen Elizabeth II is juxtaposed against the young, casual, and politically savvy Tony Blair. Based at least loosely in reality, the plot revolves around how the royal family responds in the days immediately following the unexpected death of Princess Diana.

The Queen represents those who are anchored to all things modern, and confused by how the old ways of doing things suddenly don’t work anymore. It is about her struggle to accept the new ways that power and meaning are governed in the postmodern world, and her choice to adapt, or die. For me, the most interesting scenes of the film involved a sub-plot where a majestic stag was hunted and eventually killed. The Queen has an encounter with the deer, and realizes that she is looking in a mirror. This stag is powerful and magnificent, but is unable to compete with the technology of humans, and becomes easy prey for the hunters and their guns. While it may have ruled the woods at one time, that day has passed. The Queen seems to learn from the fate of the deer, and finds the humility to adapt and survive.

The Queen is portrayed, surprisingly, as an underdog. The film paints a sympathetic portrait of her as someone who is doing her best to fulfill her duty in the way she was raised. This is a woman without any real authority who is disliked, even despised, by her people. As an essentially private person living the most public life imaginable, she is misunderstood.