"Empire of Light" - Film Review
There’s an inherent romance to movie theaters. The large, dim room, the one bright wall amidst the darkness, and the magic that appears on the screen. It’s often the first date locale for many and remains a tried-and-true night out. Empire of Light is an ode to these marvelous places. Any film lover can tell you all about the beautiful theatres they’ve been to and the movies they’ve seen there because part of the ineffable magic of movies is that communal experience.
Hilary (Olivia Colman) is a duty manager at a dying movie theatre on the southern coast of England in the 1980s. While she struggles with loneliness, Hilary feels at home with her crew of employees, especially Stephen (Micheal Ward), a recent new hire. The two bond over their appreciation for the dying building that houses the cinema, which has long since seen its prime. What was once a five-screen picture house has been reduced to two screens, and it’s always on the verge of shutting down.
© 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
Empire of Light tries to cram too many intricate, heavy topics into its ode to cinema. It’s far too heavy-handed to make any real impact on the viewer, and it’s only thanks to the nuanced performances of Colman and Ward that a modicum of emotion is felt. Unfortunately, even they can’t save the secret romance that’s at the center of the film. It’s poorly constructed and painted in strokes that are too broad to say anything of purpose. Hilary’s mental health is only described as something that caused her to “go away for a while.” Stephen’s experiences at the hands of unnamed racist characters show up in fits and starts and never give Stephen’s trauma its due. Empire of Light is a case of too many ideas and not enough editing. There are also hints of class struggles, sexism, age differences in romantic relationships, and workplace abuse, but never more than a vague reference.
A love for cinema gives Empire of Light more credit than it likely deserves. Norman (Toby Jones) gives Stephen a tour of the projection booth and explains the flaw in a human’s optical nerve that creates the illusion that twenty-four still frames per second can be in motion. That’s perhaps the strongest scene - when the film’s heart is worn so proudly on its sleeve and it’s not trying to do something more than it’s capable of.
© 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
Empire of Light is lost in its own grandness. The film wants to be a meaningful celebration of the almost religious experience it is to go to the movies, but seems to believe that isn’t enough to sustain a two hour movie. The strange community that comes from working together at a movie theatre (or any other minimum wage job) could have supplied enough drama and purpose to drive the film. Empire of Light piles on issues that Matter with a capital M without realizing that the connection of ragtag people who share a love for movies is more than enough.
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