Empire of light is getting a lot of publicity due to its star-studded cast and acclaimed director Sam Mendez. In addition, as it is nearing Oscar season, any artistically styled films are becoming more apparent and recognised. Perhaps this film even more so, as it is based in a critics’ utopia: the cinema.
Sam Mendez (director), Roger Deakins (cinematographer), and Mark Tildesley (production Designer) all deserve praise for the beauty of the film. Every shot is a piece of photographic art, visually stunning, with every intricate detail of the shot carefully considered and designed. If stills from the film were in an art exhibition, they would not be out of place. In addition, the purposely artistic shots are successful in not detracting from the plot and underlying themes of the film.
The plot follows local cinema manager, Hillary Small (Olivia Coleman). She is a timid, quiet hardworking employee, in the family of staff that work at the cinema. From the offset we see the team interacting and chatting as they tidy cinema screens and have lunch breaks together, showing a personal and familiar connection between them all. The story and interactions are unique in the way that they feel very human. Many of the connections are different to the norm, even though we have seen relationships with age differences, abuse of power and love triangles before, in ‘Empire of Light’ each character has a genuine, human element to them, with gives the film a fresh original feel.
As the film progresses it soon becomes apparent that Hilary suffers with poor mental health, when her romantic relationship with Stephen ends, she struggles to cope with her overwhelming feelings. The film distinctly shows both sides of mental illness that people are not always aware of. It quite often the conscientious people that suffer, those who may need medication but also human interaction and support to remain stable. However, this can often be mixed with times of severe bad mental health episodes, often hidden from others as these breakdowns are considered taboo. This is beautifully portrayed in the beach trip, where Hilary and Stephen take a bus ride to the beach; they playfully swim, sunbathe and build sandcastles together laughing and enjoying the small pleasures in life. This suddenly changes when Hilary begins to get angry about past relationships she has had. She begins to swell up with emotion and acts out, destroying the sandcastle they built together. A notable metaphor of how a euphoric moment can come crashing down. In both this scene, and the scene where Stephen goes to check up on Hilary, the audience can begin to sympathise with Stephen, and we feel a heart-warming connection to the film as he doesn’t give up or leave when times are hard or confusing.
The real underlying themes of the film are about the human condition, overcoming adversity through compassion and understanding. With both mental health and racism portrayed as challenges and stigmas within society that need to be overcome through connection and empathy, not violence. In the scene when the skinheads march through the streets protesting, one of them spots Stephen helping his colleagues lock the doors, driven by racism, they break in and damage both the foyer and Stephen. Unfortunately, this scene lets the film down slightly, as the fight choreography is awkward and appears fake, which brings the audience away from the realism of the film. Yet, it still portrays the hard-hitting truths of racism and how brutal and scary this was for those who faced adversity. The team eventually regroup through all the hardship which brings a feeling of closeness and a family atmosphere.
There are also other elements to the film that are not particularly clean, such as the metaphor with the pigeon, which feels uninspiring and too obvious. It distinctly indicates the soon to be relationship between Hilary and Stephen. Also, this is Sam Mendez’s first-time writing, and even though most of the script seems natural (probably due to the impeccable cast and acting), there are still times where conversations feel a bit clunky and like they were written for a film, rather than flowing and real.
Overall, the film brings the beauty and comfort of the cinema to the forefront, something desperately needed as cinema-lovers have dwindled in a post-pandemic world. With incredible period-accurate, production design, stunning cinematography this is a beautiful story full of uniqueness and charm. It is a celebration of humanity at its best and worst and isn’t afraid to show life’s awkward and imperfect side. I felt wholesome and inspired by the end of the film, with a sense of belonging in this complicated world.
8.5/10
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