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Movie Review: Diana’s Wedding (2020)

Natasha Alvar
Movie Reviews
--> August 20, 2021

Even before I really knew who she was, I remember my mom talking about Princess Diana nearly all the time. There were stacks of magazines at home with her face plastered on the cover, with many attempting to replicate her style. The royal wedding between Diana and Prince Charles was all that anyone could talk about, the excitement felt all across the world. Women gravitated towards Diana, and the media loved her, perhaps because she was so dissimilar to the royals we were used to.

The film, Diana’s Wedding , is built on contrast, juxtaposing the life of a regular Norwegian family with that of Diana’s. Liv (Marie Blokhus, “Forgotten Christmas”) and Terje (Pål Sverre Hagen, “ Kon-Tiki ”) wed on the same day as Charles and Diana, the former’s simple wedding a major contrast to the lavish royal wedding we all got to see on TV. Married life is filled with ups and downs for the pair. All the lovely words and high spirits of the wedding transform to extreme moments of tension when their daughter Diana is born. But director Charlotte Blom also shows us the tender and sweet moments, like Terje tidying up the outside area of their house after Liv makes a comment about it, or Liv offering to teach him how to swim when she finds out that he can’t.

At the same time, these sweet moments spiral to other moments of conflict later on, which just feels true to married life. An act of kindness now may become ammunition later on. Liv and Terje’s neighbors Unni (Jannike Kruse, “Psychobitch”) and Olav (Olav Waastad) have it worse — their marriage is clearly in dire straits, and the pair are just existing in status quo. Unni feels that as a woman she needs to suck it up and bear her husband’s mistreatment of her, but much like the Princess of Wales herself, she eventually learns that you need to prioritize yourself if you want a happy life.

There is a sense of pathos here for the children of these couples. These fights between Liv and Terje occur in full view of their children Diana and Cato. Diana, who is the older child, is clearly more affected by their perpetual disagreements, especially since she is privy to the secrets that Terje keeps from Liv. Cato (John Emil Jørgensrud) grows up to be more well-adjusted, so it’s apparent that Liv and Terje managed to figure out their coupledom as they got older, and because Diana (Ine Marie Wilmann, “Sonja: The White Swan”) escaped them as quickly as she could, all she remembers is the constant fighting.

It is certainly reminiscent of children who fear their own married lives when they get older, terrified of replicating their parents’ failures. Sometimes it’s hard to see the good stuff when the bad stuff has greater impact. The tender moments are quieter, out of sight, while the fights are loud and visceral. At the end of the day, married life, or just life in general, is never going to be as smooth-sailing or as picturesque as one’s wedding day. There are going to be trying moments, and even moments where you wonder if you need to walk away — holding onto the love that you and your partner share will get you to the next day, and the day after that.

Blom’s Diana’s Wedding does really well in communicating the authenticity of married life, though it can be a bit much at times to see conflict after conflict play out on screen. I understand the intention, I just wished we got more of a balance, even if real life doesn’t really work that way.

Tagged: daughter , Norway , parenthood , wedding

Natasha is an English Literature teacher. She believes that stories are the essence of being human, and loves sharing this world with her students. One day, she hopes to break into the literary world with an offering of her own, but for now, she finds enjoyment in writing plays for her students as well as penning content for The Critical Movie Critics. She also writes for moviebabblereviews.com in her spare time. You can follow her @litmysoul on Instagram, if you want.

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Diana's Wedding Reviews

Tonally Diana’s Wedding is a little all over the place amongst the somewhat predictable tantrums, truths and tears, but as episodic as the drama sometimes feels, you’ll easily find yourself entertained by and engrossed in it.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 1, 2022

Diana's Wedding is not a rare or unusual story to be told but it is an energetic and every bit the nostalgia trip through a childhood.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 4, 2021

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Diana's wedding.

2020 ‘Dianas bryllup’ Directed by Charlotte Blom

It's July 29, 1981. In the majestic St Paul's Cathedral in London, Lady Diana Spencer marries Prince Charles. The same day, another celebration takes place in the canteen of a Norwegian small-town factory. It’s the newly-weds LIV and TERJE'S wedding party. In the pram lies their new-born daughter, DIANA, who, like her famous namesake, will be facing a lot of chaos in the years to come thanks to her parents. The wedding, and following years, are less glamorous than the royal counterpart, but indisputably much more fun. Through the eyes of Diana, we witness the rollercoaster of her parent’s marriage. To her, they are the worst parents in the world. Miles away from doing a decent job, constantly fighting yet still in love by the time Diana is preparing for her own marriage 30 years later.

Pål Sverre Hagen Marie Blokhus Jannike Kruse Olav Waastad Ine Marie Wilmann Nader Khademi Signe Marie Stivang Vegard Strand Eide Maja Beirusten Berge Christian Stenberg Kløv Celine Kathe Foster Engen Linn Bjørnvik Grøder John Emil Jørgensrud Andrea Brekke Eli Anne Linnestad Anne Marie Ottersen André Sørum

Director Director

Charlotte Blom

Producers Producers

Synnøve Hørsdal Charlotta Denward

Writers Writers

Mette M. Bølstad Charlotte Blom

Casting Casting

Celine Engebrigtsen

Editor Editor

Mina Nybakke

Cinematography Cinematography

Linda Wassberg

Production Design Production Design

Åsa Nilsson

Art Direction Art Direction

Jurgita Zepp

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Ieva Rojute

Composer Composer

Ginge Anvik

Sound Sound

Bent Holm Giedrius Aleknavičius Nils Aré Viken Bror Kristiansen Siri Schippers Skaar

Costume Design Costume Design

Makeup makeup.

Grethe Gunn Solberg Hansen

Drama Comedy

Releases by Date

25 sep 2020, 15 jul 2021, 19 jul 2021, 07 aug 2022, releases by country.

Digital 12 VOD
Theatrical 16
Theatrical 12

87 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by molly ❤️‍🔥 ★★★★

pål sverre hagen fan account

Review by CJ Johnson ★★★½ 3

Warm, charming, observant, honest, with absolutely winning performances from the two leads. The best Norwegian film I’ve seen in a few years. Delightful.

Review by Calvin Kemph 🤠 ★★★

Nordic Lights Film Festival — #2

You cannot design better synchronicity than this story which only peripherally touches on the lives of royalty, to contrast the experience of love in a more common family. Perhaps many romantic films give the wrong impression of love. That it is always right and that the person must suit all our ideals. What Diana’s Wedding understands is that love is persevering beyond eccentricities.

This family does not quite get along. While Princess Diana was marrying into royalty, a factory worker and his wife were getting married in a Norwegian factory, with their newborn daughter, Diana.

It then becomes a fascinating movie about parenting and how even a seemingly odd upbringing is so often surrounded…

Review by Anton Rizky Hamdani ★★★★

Liv dan Terje menikah di hari yang sama saat Pangeran Charles dan Putri Diana mengucap sumpah setia sehidup semati di Katedral Santo Paulus London. Resepsi penuh sukacita yang mengandung unsur kebetulan ini diabadikan ke nama yang dipilih untuk anak perempuan mereka, Diana. Sudut pandang film ini berubah kala Diana mulai beranjak balita. Film ini adalah kisahnya. Film ini adalah cara dirinya memandang dan menilai dunia serta lingkungan sekitarnya.

Diana's Wedding mengambil interval tiga dekade dari titik dimana Liv dan Terje menikah hingga Diana menikah ketika dewasa nantinya. Mengikuti tumbuh kembang Diana, kita menyaksikan tantangan hidup berumah tangga dan sulitnya konsep parenting. Lantas ia pun berharap jalan terjal kehidupan pasca pernikahan yang terjadi pada orang tuanya tidak terjadi kepadanya di kemudian hari.

Review by Thomas Lie ★★★★

This portrait of a working class family in Norway from the 80s till present day took me a little while to settle into, but once it worked it really worked. It ended up being quite a moving piece about relationships, family and love. Recommended!

Review by elise ★★½

didn’t see the point of this except pål sverre hagen with a moustache

Review by helle ★★★★

hvis e hadd fått kallenavnet fleksnes så hadd e å blitt pissed

Review by J ★★★½

The first two acts are spectacular. Marie Blokhus is spectacular! She has the most incredibly charming smile I've ever seen, and I believe her acting so much.

We just... straight up did not need the wedding. Diana's actual wedding is silly, full of corny humour and weird casting-choices, cringey acting and bad aging-makeup. I am completely on board with how growing up in a home like this can mess you up. I know that first hand. But I think they conveyed that well in the first two acts. I didn't have to have emotional speeches or tragic views at child neglect. The kids leaving without the parents noticing says enough.

Anyways, what is good is so good that it outweighs what's bad. Fuck, I discovered something about myself and Marie Blokhus here.

Review by Thomas Heie ★★★★

Relasjonsdrama om å vokse opp i arbeiderklasse i Sarpsborg, regissørens fødeby. Troverdig tidskoloritt fra 1981 fram til dagens dato, og forfriskende med arbeiderklassehistorier når det meste annet er fra middelklassen. Ekteskapskrangler, nabosjalusi, oversette barn og å stoppe opp prosessen med å modnes som menneske, selv om man blir foreldre og gradvis eldre. Spilt inn i Litauen, men med eksteriørbilder av Borregaard fabrikker i Sarpsborg og to hus som kunne vært et norsk boligfelt, troverdig at mannen i det ene huset jobber på lageret på fabrikken (Pål Sverre Hagen) og mannen i nabohuset er sivilingeniør samme sted (Olav Waastad), og at konene deres misunner hverandres liv (Marie Blokhus og Jannike Kruse). Sarpinger drikker for øvrig Borg-øl, ikke disse utenlandske (østeuropeiske?) flaskene.

Sett på Vega scene. Norsk film # 551.

Review by Evan . ★★★★★

Jeg gir faen jeg denne filmek er så jævlig fin og barndomsminner og pappajente og normale forhold til alkohol alle dere er bare haters

Review by J E S S 🌈 V. K ★★★★½

Review by Jenna ★★

Some very attractive people in this! Overall not for me, didn't vibe with it.

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Film Review: Diana’s Wedding

Reviewer: maryam philpott.

Writers: Charlotte Blom and Mette M. Bølstad

Director: Charlotte Blom

Despite its title, Diana’s Wedding is not a lavish recreation of the 1981 royal wedding but a 90-minute Norwegian comedy about a couple who get married on the same day with their baby daughter Diana in her pram nearby. A portrait of a complicated relationship between husband and wife is the substance of Charlotte Blom’s film covering 30-years in which the purpose and meaning of marriage is the subject.

Young and in love, Liv and Terje have a rather modest ceremony on the same day as the royal couple and move into their new suburban home next door to Unni and Jan who also have a baby. Growing up side-by-side Diana and Irene experience the highs and lows of their parents’ relationships which leaves a lasting impression as the best friends reach adulthood.

The Diana of the title has a twofold purpose, marking the route from wedding day to troubled couple using the late Princess of Wales’s life as milestones while simultaneously focusing on the Diana of this story whose wedding is the ultimate end point of the film. While the wedding itself is not the driver – there is no will she / won’t she cliches – how a child experiences and is shaped by the marriage of her parents and neighbours adds a new dimension as the fallibilities and contradictions of grown-ups is explored.

Diana herself is rarely the focus and instead, like the viewer, she is a passive observer of events which slightly confuses Blom and co-writer Mette M. Bølstad’s premise. Arguably, it is Liv whose point of view the audience follows as she adjusts to her new life and starts to see through her husband’s charms. We understand less of Terje’s viewpoint which makes his character blankly sexist and sometimes boorish, while across the fence Unni grows more sympathetic while husband Jan is increasingly dislikeable, even creepy.

The films takes place at intervals across the 30-years, remarkable largely for the fact that both couples stay married despite the bickering and fallouts on show. So, while there is no A to B plot as such, Blom and Bølstad are interested in domestic changes, shifts in power dynamics, expectations and meanings as long relationships evolved. The final section with the now grown-up Diana is underwhelming next to the more colourful lives of her parents but there is much to appreciate in the changing marital dynamics as the decades roll by.

Åsa Nilsson and Ida Toft’s 80s and 90s design is particularly effective, capturing the slightly low budget necessity of interior design and costume for working class couples like Liv and Terje with Marie Blokhus and Pål Sverre Hagen convincing as the spouses balancing a vitriolic loathing with a can’t-live-without-each-other devotion which shifts in intensity across the film. Jannike Kruse is notable as Unni the buttoned-up neighbour starved of attention and finding release through the friends next door.

The film’s reference to Princess Diana is hardly needed and while the title will attract the curious, there is enough here to stand on its own merit. The child’s eye view is not as pronounced or consistent as it could be and the ending feels too pat, but Diana’s wedding is worth attending.

Diana’s Wedding will be available on Digital Download from 19th July

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How Not to Conduct a Marriage – Diana’s Wedding (Film Review)

The ghost of Princess Diana Spencer will forever be inspiration for conspiracy documentaries, tribute documentaries, fictional accounts made by filmmakers inside and outside of the UK. But this Norwegian dramedy about a dysfunctional couple's marriage seen through the eyes of their daughter is at least a refreshing take and in some very small way, a homage to Diana.

In 1981, the Royal Wedding of the century took place, Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles. On the same day in a small town in Norway, Liv and Terje also got married and moved into their new home with their infant daughter, Diana. Like her namesake, Diana would face a chaotic life in the years ahead, mostly due to her erratic parents.

Dysfunctional family stories are usually the most fun to watch as you know you are guaranteed chaos, outbursts and the unexpected expected shenanigans that come with that description. Diana's Wedding is not a rare or unusual story to be told but it is an energetic and every bit the nostalgia trip through a childhood. With the clothes, the music, the art and the behaviours of the parents, there is a lot to enjoy about this comedic family drama that plays out like an adaptation of a biography. Although the film is named after Diana, the film is more about her parents. The focus being on their marriage and parenting skills which they both lack. Their neighbours, the unhappy housewife Unni and the distant Jan, also play a major part in Diana's story, as the families becomes close friends and the children grow up together. Both set of parents are shown to have terrible parenting skills throughout and unclear whether we are meant to judge them or feel sorry for the children trapped with this adults who don't know what they're doing.

Choosing to focus in on Liv and Terje's relationship instead of Diana, the film ends up becoming a manual on how not to conduct a marriage in the eyes of Diana and Irene, Unni and Jan's daughter, ideals carried over into adulthood. Despite the fighting and arguments, they always make up and fall in love all over again. This marriage is compared to Unni and Jan who sleep in separate rooms, don't share any ideals or heartfelt moments, not without Unni trying. These marriages are not the key point of the story but also the climax, hence the title of the film.

Director Charlotte Blom , who also co-wrote the script, has created a story with a rollercoaster of emotions, which is what is expected when it comes to any film about a family, adding in the dysfunction just makes it a delight to watch.

Diana's Wedding is available on digital download now

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Diana’s Wedding – movie review

The Norwegian comedy Diana’s Wedding really puts family values to the test. This small film offers some hard truths, wrapped in that peculiarly Scandinavian sense of humour.

Director Charlotte Blom doubles as the screenwriter. She brings a sharply observational style to what is essentially a kitchen-sink dramedy, but doesn’t seek to inject any great flair into the film. So while the film comes across as honest and heartfelt, it also drags in patches, notably in the early stages. Diana’s Wedding takes some of its cues from the real Princess Diana, and the story covers three decades in the lives of its characters. I get the feeling Blom might have envisaged this as a kind of contemporary companion piece to Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage (1974). Though if that’s the case, it’s a high bar to set for yourself.

The film opens on the day of the royal wedding of Charles and Diana in 1981. They’re not the only newlyweds though – Liv (Marie Blokhus) and Terje (Pål Sverre Hagen) have just tied the knot. The couple and their new baby – named Diana – move in next door to straitlaced couple Unni (Jannike Kruse) and Olav (Olav Waastad). Unni and Olav also have a baby daughter who they’ve called Irene – despite Unni wanting to call her Diana. Terje and Olav work at the same company, though at very different levels of the organisation. Liv and Terje have a rather relaxed approach to raising Diana (and later a son, Cato) in contrast to Unni’s helicopter parenting. They also have terrible rows, often fuelled by alcohol. By contrast, Unni and Olav keep up appearances, but their relationship faces different, deeper troubles.

I found Diana’s Wedding quite uneven, particularly in the writing department. Blom’s script veers between comedy and drama, but some of the drama is quite confronting. The characters (particularly Terje) do things many would find unforgivable. That makes Liv’s loyalty to him somewhat difficult to understand. Olav too is awful, though in different ways. But the script treats him rather differently to Terje. I also found the warm fuzzy ending hard to accept. Worryingly, the film seems to argue that treating people (including children) appallingly is okay if you really love your spouse. A more generous take would be that it’s simply presenting characters who don’t march to the beat of the conventional drum.

But when it clicks, Diana’s Wedding can be a little bijou. A touching scene at a lakeside holiday camp felt authentic and wrenching. While the humour isn’t raucous, it’s still effective. And Linda Wassberg’s cinematography gives the film a warm but realistic feel.

Marie Blokhus drives the film as Liv. She gives an assured performance that illuminates the many facets of the character. Pål Sverre Hagen is a fine foil for her as Terje, and his performance has seen him nominated in Norway’s Amanda Awards this year. Jannike Kruse is excellent in a difficult role as the long-suffering Unni; while Olav Waastad is suitably disagreeable as Olav.

Although Diana’s Wedding has its moments, I didn’t embrace it fully. Some fine performances couldn’t overcome its muddled message and plotting issues for me. But if you’re into low-key Scandi dramas, you may get more from it than I did.

David Edwards

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David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television

Diana’s Wedding: Review

DIANA’S WEDDING (Dianas Bryllup) Norway, 2020, 87 mins)

Marriages are secret gardens, jungles, and sometimes prisons full of disdain and despair. Or occasionally a mixture of it all. Director Charlotte Blom has managed to capture this by depicting two families, neighbours with differing socio-economic backgrounds and societal conformity. The story follows their lives over a period of forty years, running in a chronological parallel to Princess Diana’s life, from her wedding to her death.

The main protagonists are Terje (Pal Sverre Hagen), Liv ( Marie Blokhus ) and their daughter Diana, who later asks, “Why would I want to get married when I look at your rubbish relationship?”. Viewed through Diana’s eyes, parents present a confusing mix of ambiguity, hypocrisy and incomprehension, while her grandmother and great aunt, as they scoff their green liquor, say it like it is: “Your parents are nitwits”.

Is it better to have parents who disagree passionately and insult each other constantly, or are callously indifferent? Possibly neither. They could all do better if they could be bothered. Mette Bølstad and Blom’s script depicts relationship microcosms in a sometimes amusing, mostly painful web of incomprehension, while providing good reason to destroy the classic nuclear family.

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Jul 14, 2021

Diana's Wedding film review

Directed by: Charlotte Blom

Written by: Charlotte Blom, Mette M Bolstad

Starring: Marie Blokhus, Pal Sverre Hagen, Jannike Kruse, Ine Marie Wilmann

Film Review by: Jason Knight

Poster for Diana's Wedding showing protagonists.

A story about the life of a girl and the challenges she goes through being raised by irresponsible parents.

The film begins in 1981, with Liv and Terje getting married, who already have a baby daughter named Diana. They move into their new home and meet Jan and Unni, their new neighbours, who live next door with their own daughter Irene. As the years go by, Terje and Liv become close friends with their neighbours and have another child Cato. However as parents, they are not the best role models. They argue constantly and do not pay enough attention to their children, leading to all sorts of embarrassing and awkward situations. As a result, Diana chooses to stay away from them, preferring the company of Irene, with whom she forms a strong bond as time passes.

This Norwegian comedy-drama looks into a dysfunctional family and how it affects a child's psychology. It explores themes of parenthood, growing up, marriage, friendship and love. The main focus is the relationship between Liv and Terje who, throughout the film contradict each other and scream in each other's face, even though they love each other. Jan and Unni also have their own issues, acting childishly. Generally both married couples are presented as wrongdoers, while their children seem to know better.

Overall, the protagonists deliver rather convincing performances, with Blokhus and Hagen putting on a good show as a couple whose relationship is on the edge and credit also goes to Kruse for her portrayal of an unhappy housewife.

The are many scenes of confrontation, primarily between Terje and Liv and some of them are heartbreaking. It is upsetting watching the couple argue and their daughter becoming more and more distant, however there are also funny and uplifting moments. There are also jokes of a sexual nature and brief nudity.

The film includes references to Diana, Princess of Wales and the title might make some people think of the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer and they would be right, as the film contains footage of the wedding the day Terje and Liv marry, which happens to be the 29th of July 1981, the same day as Lady Diana's wedding. The movie also includes footage of Diana's sons and references her tragic passing. Of course, there is also the fact that the daughter's name is Diana.

Sometimes emotional, sometimes humorous, this feature is an interesting viewing that deserves attention. With great acting, an intriguing narrative and an entertaining soundtrack, it provides an experience that is worth pursuing.

#JasonKnight

Diana’s Wedding will be available on Digital Download from 19th July

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Diana’s Wedding – Film review

24 September 2021 by Alexis Dallas Leave a Comment

Diana’s Wedding , a warm and energised Norwegian comedy following the ups and downs of a turbulent marriage, is the second feature by Norwegian director Charlotte Blom ( Staying Alive ). Moments are drawn upon from Princess Diana’s life to help propel the narrative.

The story begins on July 29, 1981. In the majestic St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Lady Diana Spencer marries Prince Charles. On the same day hundreds of miles away in a Norwegian factory, another union takes place for newlyweds Liv (played by Marie Blokhus) and Terje’s (played by Pål Sverre Hagen), both flawless in their roles.

In the pram lies their newborn daughter, Diana, who, like her famous namesake, will endure chaos as a result of her parent’s tumultuous relationship.

Liv and Terje move into the suburbs, quickly making friends with their neighbours, Unni (played by Jannike Kruse) and Jan (played by Olav Waastad), also with a toddler the same age as Diana. Sharing their evenings and weekends together, both of the couples’ imperfections come to the fore, fuelled by alcohol-infused parties. Jan and Unni put on a brave face but in reality they don’t sleep in the same room and Jan secretly yearns for companionship elsewhere, even pushing himself on to Liv. Unni turns her head the other way, enduring Jan’s derision by deflecting it on to her teenage daughter, Irene.

Through the eyes of Diana, we witness the rollercoaster ride of both her parent’s and Irene’s marriages. To both girls, they have the worst parents in the world. But at the end of the day, which of the couples remain strong and which fall apart ?

Diana’s Wedding is screening now at Regal Cinemas in Graceville. Check your local guides for screening times.

About Diana’s Wedding

Rating: MA15+ Duration: 90 mins Language: Norwegian with English subtitles

Directed by Charlotte Blom Written by Charlotte Blom, Mette M. Bølstad Stars Marie Blokhus, Pal Sverre Hagen, Jannike Kruse, Olav Waastad

About Alexis Dallas

Alexis guest writes film and performance reviews for Brisbanista.

Reader Interactions

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Film review: norwegian comedy-drama diana’s wedding tracks the lives of a family through ups and downs.

When you think of Norwegian cinema, noirish crime thrillers set in the icy darkness of winter spring to mind.

So, it’s fair to say the bright and breezy Diana’s Wedding, a gentle comedy-drama with perpetually sun-kissed cinematography, is literally a pleasant surprise.

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Diana's Wedding - Review

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- THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD -

Fancy a story brimming with domestic discord rising to emotional catharsis crowned by a raucously chaotic climax?

A wedding movie will always answer your needs. They come in all nationalities. Diana’s Wedding is Norwegian – a family saga which begins when Liv (Marie Blokhus) and Terje (Pal Sverre Hagen) marry on the same day as Prince Charles and Princess Diana. For a while, their sex drive obscures their differences but after their baby, Diana, starts disturbing their sleep, passion is diluted by frequent bursts of vividly expressed irritation.

A highlight of this year’s Scandinavian Film Festival, the film is directed and co-written by Charlotte Blom, who’s made a cheerfully robust job of it. The curses, the hard-drinking and the damage done to the furniture are offset by belly laughs, dirty dancing and a soundtrack built around the disco hits of the era.

The story spans more than 20 years, ending with the young Diana’s wedding, which comes close to being ruined by her parents’ bad behaviour. And it runs in tandem with the unhappy lives of the family’s close neighbours, Unni (Jannike Kruse), Jan (Olav Waastad) and their daughter, Irene (Celine Kathe Foster Engen). Growing up together, Irene and Diana become close friends and perceptive critics of their parents’ mistakes.

It’s a film without pretensions. While Blom inserts bits of archival footage inviting you to compare and contrast the rocky progress of the royal marriage with that of Liv and Terje, she doesn’t labour the point. Nor is she out to craft a particularly penetrating portrait of the pitfalls of a long-running union between two disparate personalities. But she’s come up with a film humming with vitality and performances so gloriously uninhibited that its lack of subtlety never crosses your mind. - Sandra Hall, THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Diana's Wedding opens in New Zealand cinemas 02 June!

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DIANA’S WEDDING

All is fair in love and war, so the saying goes, but sometimes fire and water need to mix too in the new subtitled comedy drama DIANA’S WEDDING .

On 29 th July 1981, Norwegian love-birds Terje and Liv get married as Charles and Diana are watched by the global millions at St. Paul’s Cathedral. They become parents around the same time to Diana and the road to eternal, lifelong happiness commences. They move into a new neighborhood where they meet Unni and Jan, who have a jolly daughter by the name of Irene, contrasting with Diana who never quite seems to rest easily and is crying seemingly forever.

In 1990, a trip to a holiday camp in Sweden opens up bitter truths and temptations for Terje and Liv, who have Diana and a son, Cato. Terje appears to be resistant to leaving behind all those immature attributes that probably made him attractive to Liv in the process, but Diana is very impressionable and – with help from the equally spirited Irene – determined to make her own voice heard as the family moves forward….

The film-makers here might be risking a trip to the Tower rather than a prestigious premiere in Central London in the presence of the British Royal Family, but DIANA’S WEDDING is a very entertaining arc of bittersweet dysfunction with the focus on two families and how the interaction and personal desires are heightened by life-changing events in the context of very grounded relationships.

Using Princess Diana as a point of reference seems a bit surplus to requirements in this film, as the conflicts here work well enough on their own, with archive footage of specific moments leading up to the tragedy in Paris in 1997, but overall there are some discomfortingly honest revelations for this group of characters and a satisfying sense of cathartic reflection for the viewer.

Diana’s Wedding will be released on Digital Download from July 19.

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Diana's Wedding

They never stop loving each other, even if they sometimes can't stand the sight of each other--from her infancy to when she leaves home, Diana observes Liv and Terje: the world's worst parents, not even trying to do their best.

Strong coarse language

Original Review

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Storyline (warning: spoilers)

The ghost of Princess Diana will forever be inspiration for conspiracy documentaries, tribute documentaries, fictional accounts made by filmmakers inside and outside of the UK. But this Norwegian dramedy about a dysfunctional couple’s marriage seen through the eyes of their daughter is at least a refreshing take and in some very small way, a homage to Diana. In 1981, the Royal Wedding of the century took place when Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles. On the same day in a small town in Norway, Liv and Terje also got married and moved into their new home with their infant daughter, Diana. Like her namesake, Diana would face a chaotic life in the years ahead. Dysfunctional family stories are usually the most fun to watch as you know you are guaranteed chaos, outbursts and the unexpected expected shenanigans that come with that description. Diana’s Wedding is not a rare or unusual story to be told but it is an energetic and every bit the nostalgia trip through a childhood. With the clothes, the music, the art and the behaviours of the parents, there is a lot to enjoy about this comedic family drama that plays out like an adaptation of a biography. Although the film is named after Diana, the film is more about her parents, with the focus being on their marriage and parenting skills which they both lack. Their neighbours, the unhappy housewife Unni and the distant Jan, also play a major part in Diana’s story, as the families becomes close friends and the children grow up together. Both sets of parents are shown to have terrible parenting skills throughout and it is unclear whether we are meant to judge them or feel sorry for the children trapped with these adults who don’t know what they’re doing. Director Charlotte Blom, who also co-wrote the script, has created a story with a rollercoaster of emotions, which is what is expected when it comes to any film about a family. Adding in the dysfunction just makes it a delight to watch.

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Diana's Wedding

On the same day as Lady Diana Spencer marries Prince Charles in London, newly-weds Liv and Terje celebrate their nuptials in the canteen of a Norwegian small-town factory in this romantic comedy. In the pram lies their new-born daughter, Diana, who, like her famous namesake, will face chaos in the years to come thanks to her parents.

Through the eyes of Diana, we witness the rollercoaster of her parent’s marriage. To her, they are the worst parents in the world. Miles away from doing a decent job, constantly fighting yet still in love by the time Diana is preparing for her own marriage 30 years later.

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Diana's Wedding | Ratings & Reviews

"(Blom has) come up with a film humming with vitality and performances so gloriously uninhibited that its lack of subtlety never crosses your mind."

"Blom does a great job of crafting complex characters the viewer can’t help but care about."

"The two leads do an excellent job of reminding us what they see in each other during those periods where love trumps hate..."

"Diana’s Wedding reinvents the romantic comedy by capturing a side of marriage that isn’t often shown on screen."

"(It) is warm, charming, observant, honest, with absolutely winning performances from the two leads."

Diana's Wedding | Details

Diana's Wedding | Trailers

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Dianas Wedding

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Diana's Wedding at Lumiere Cinemas

Diana's wedding.

90 mins | Rated R13 (Offensive language & sexual references)

Directed by Charlotte Blom

Starring Pål Sverre Hagen, Marie Blokhus, Jannike Kruse, Nader Khademi, Anne Marie Ottersen

90 mins | Rated R13 (Offensive language & sexual references) | Comedy

Directed by Charlotte Blom | Starring Pål Sverre Hagen, Marie Blokhus, Jannike Kruse, Nader Khademi, Anne Marie Ottersen

It’s July 29, 1981. In the majestic St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Lady Diana Spencer marries Prince Charles. The same day, another celebration takes place in the canteen of a Norwegian small-town factory. It’s the newly-weds LIV and TERJE’S wedding party. In the pram lies their new-born daughter, DIANA, who, like her famous namesake, will be facing a lot of chaos in the years to come thanks to her parents. The wedding, and following years, are less glamorous than the royal counterpart, but indisputably much more fun. Through the eyes of Diana, we witness the rollercoaster of her parent’s marriage. To her, they are the worst parents in the world. Miles away from doing a decent job, constantly fighting yet still in love by the time Diana is preparing for her own marriage 30 years later.... Critic Review... ★★★★ - THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD - Fancy a story brimming with domestic discord rising to emotional catharsis crowned by a raucously chaotic climax? A wedding movie will always answer your needs. They come in all nationalities. Diana’s Wedding is Norwegian – a family saga which begins when Liv (Marie Blokhus) and Terje (Pal Sverre Hagen) marry on the same day as Prince Charles and Princess Diana. For a while, their sex drive obscures their differences but after their baby, Diana, starts disturbing their sleep, passion is diluted by frequent bursts of vividly expressed irritation. A highlight of this year’s Scandinavian Film Festival, the film is directed and co-written by Charlotte Blom, who’s made a cheerfully robust job of it. The curses, the hard-drinking and the damage done to the furniture are offset by belly laughs, dirty dancing and a soundtrack built around the disco hits of the era. The story spans more than 20 years, ending with the young Diana’s wedding, which comes close to being ruined by her parents’ bad behaviour. And it runs in tandem with the unhappy lives of the family’s close neighbours, Unni (Jannike Kruse), Jan (Olav Waastad) and their daughter, Irene (Celine Kathe Foster Engen). Growing up together, Irene and Diana become close friends and perceptive critics of their parents’ mistakes. It’s a film without pretensions. While Blom inserts bits of archival footage inviting you to compare and contrast the rocky progress of the royal marriage with that of Liv and Terje, she doesn’t labour the point. Nor is she out to craft a particularly penetrating portrait of the pitfalls of a long-running union between two disparate personalities. But she’s come up with a film humming with vitality and performances so gloriously uninhibited that its lack of subtlety never crosses your mind. - Sandra Hall, THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

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Princess Diana Had a Secret Second Wedding Dress

By Kase Wickman

Image may contain Diana Princess of Wales Person Adult Wedding Clothing and Hat

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. And there’s no way that designer Elizabeth Emanuel was going to let herself fail when she was asked to design a wedding dress for 20-year-old Diana Spencer in advance of her 1981 wedding to the then- Prince Charles .

“I was a bit neurotic, and I thought, ‘What happens if somebody breaks in and steals the dress or something spills or there’s a fire or it gets stolen?’” Emanuel told People about her own pre-wedding jitters 43 years ago. “So I thought, ‘I’m gonna make a backup dress.’”

And that’s exactly what she and her now ex-husband David Emanuel did, designing and then beginning to construct a dress that differed hugely from Diana’s now-iconic ivory gown, with its 25-foot train and veil-and-tiara combo .

Image may contain Clothing Dress Fashion Formal Wear Gown Wedding Wedding Gown Adult Person Glove and Footwear

“I just thought, ‘If anything happens, we’ll finish it off and have it ready,’” Elizabeth said of the dress, which featured fitted sleeves with frilled cuffs, and left off both the intricate hand-embroidered embellishments and cathedral train that the final dress featured. It was also a truer white than Diana’s ivory gown. “It likely ended up on some sample rail,” Elizabeth said of the unfinished contingency dress. “It probably got reused, torn up, thrown out, who knows?”

Now, using old sketches and thumbnails the designer has brought the dress that never was to life. It will be on display at the virtual interactive Princess Diana Museum .

Renae Plant , the museum’s director and curator, told the outlet why she sought the artifact out.

Image may contain Fashion Person Adult Wedding People Clothing Hat and Crowd

“We never got to see that dress on Diana and thought it would be lovely to envision it,” she said of the design. “You cannot put a price tag on history.”

Decades after the wedding, the couple's divorce in 1996, and Diana’s death, the appetite for anything related to Diana’s wedding has never waned. In 2022, a four-decade-old piece of fruitcake saved from the celebrations was even put up for auction.

Elizabeth Emanuel now recalls the moments before the wedding with fondness.

“We could hear the people outside cheering,” she said. “Everybody was happy and smiling. It really was a fairy-tale wedding.”

Kase Wickman

Contributing editor.

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