Few films are quite as beautiful as the ones made about movies. In fact, as a fan of all things classic cinema, these are my favorites too. Film industries the world over truly love nostalgia … when they’re in the right mood, that is. In Sam Mendes’ new movie, Empire of Light, the master craftsman brings his cinematic love to the forefront. Mix that with the always-on-point Olivia Colman, and the finished product is sure to be good. Here are our thoughts!
Empire of Light follows Hilary (Colman), a woman whose entire life revolves around the fading movie palace where she works as a manager. Life is hum-drum. Another day, another dollar. She quickly hits it off with Stephen (Micheal Ward), a young man who comes to work at the theater during his gap year. They quickly tumble into a chaotic relationship.
Life, as always, gets in the way as questions of racism, chauvinism and mental health cast a shadow over their happiness. Colin Firth, Toby Jones and Tom Brooke co-star in the movie. Sam Mendes directs Empire of Light from his script.
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As Hilary, Olivia Colman hits the screen with yet another career-best performance. Her fragile, layered portrayal makes a hard-to-fight argument that she deserves another Oscar nomination. She last took home the award in 2019 for her work in The Favourite.
In Empire of Light, Colman spirals through an intense emotional arc. Through everything, though, her relatability and immense likability is her strength. With all the emotion, pain and drama, it’s easy to care about this woman. It doesn’t matter how low she sinks or how hard she struggles. You want her to succeed.
The narrative easily hones in on the mundanity of her everyday life. We see Hilary as a woman who desperately needs a win. Yet through all this difficulty, she sees the good in people and she’s there for those around her.
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As her behavior becomes increasingly erratic due to her growing mental health struggles, the audience is anchored to the likable and relatable woman we met in the first act. We don’t pity her or fear her. Instead, we feel for her.
What perhaps hits the hardest in Colman’s portrayal is her feeling for Hilary’s inner goodness and strength. This grows all the more visible in her relationship with Stephen. Both performers achieve tender chemistry, and their bond is very much the heart of this story.
Empire of Light features an incredibly talented cast. While Colman is most certainly the MVP and awards-worthy, she’s far from alone. Ward runs right along with her in awards predictions. Both give beautiful and heartfelt performances that elevate the movie to a new level.
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At the same time, Toby Jones and Tom Brooke bring sensitive and important supporting performances that seem to be coasting shamefully under the radar. Each helps populate the Empire Theater’s colorful environment and foster camaraderie in this challenging world. There’s a sense that the staff has each other’s backs through all this.
Unfortunately, the story flounders a bit under the aspirations of Mendes’ script. The film aims to tackle this tender relationship and character drama in the shadow of this tumultuous historical period. At various points, Empire of Light wants to highlight racism, economic disparity, sexism, cinematic nostalgia and Hilary’s mental health struggles. When all is said and done, it struggles to fully do justice to any of these weighty topics.
Empire of Light stands on its own as a love letter to film. From the narrative to the set design and the cinematography, a reverence for cinema radiates from the screen.
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Nowhere is this felt more strongly than deep into the second act as Hilary resolves to actually watch a movie. She’s worked there for too long, but she’s never stayed and watched.
With projectionist Norman (a pitch-perfect Toby Jones), Hilary sits down and is bathed in the celluloid glow. To be specific, the 1979 Peter Sellers classic Being There. At the moment, Colman is truly radiant. In this aging movie palace, with little but the glow of the screen lighting her face, it’s not even necessary to see the screen to understand her joy. As Norman dims the lights, Empire of Light could end there. This is the way we’re supposed to feel.
Anyone who watched Mendes’ last film, 1917, should know the director is a cinematic master craftsman. Few filmmakers bring quite the same flair for the art form’s technical aspects. The same remains true in Empire of Light.
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This is, of course, more than partially due to the talented creative team Mendes puts together every time he steps behind a camera. We’d be shirking our duty if we didn’t call out his partnership with legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, who once again brings his trademark flair.
Despite depicting a rather gritty time in history, Deakins’ cinematography bathes the movie in a dreamlike nostalgic glow. Even when Hilary and Stephen are in the cluttered and dilapidated theater attic, there is something magical about the location. Movies are what dreams are made of.
In Empire of Light, director Sam Mendes once again shows us why he’s an awards season fixture. Few directors bring quite the technical prowess as he manages with each passing film. This tender character drama combines Mendes’ trademark visual power with some truly dominating performances. Just give Olivia Colman her Oscar nomination right now. It’s only unfortunate that an uneven and overly complex script keeps the movie from reaching true greatness.
Empire of Light is currently on the film festival circuit. It will hit theaters on December 9, 2022.
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