‘Empire of Light’ Film Review
by Will Lindus
I want to talk for a bit about intent, and the importance it plays in our understanding and consumption of media. Often, the measuring stick for quality, in an absolute sense, is tied to how well intent matches execution. Did the filmmakers say what they intended? Was their message muddy? Did subtextual elements from the place and time of the film’s creation bleed into the intended narrative? This is only further complicated when we examine the fact that absolute quality is a subjective concept, and that viewers bring their own biases and insights to a film, further widening the gap between authorial intent and final product.
That’s a lot of words to say, simply, that sometimes a film hits differently than was intended, and EMPIRE OF LIGHT, the 2022 romantic drama film from director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, 1917) captures this disconnect in a way worth exploring.
Set in the South Coast of England in the 1980s, EMPIRE OF LIGHT stars Olivia Coleman as Hilary Small, a mid-level manager at an old cinema on the docks. Hilary has dealt with mental instability and depression in the past, but finds comfort and stability through a friendship and romance with new employee Stephen (Michael Ward). As the two connect, they find a common connection through their love of the magic of the old cinema they work at and through their feelings as outsiders, and their romance has to survive escalating mental illness, the bubbling white nationalist movement of the 1980s, and lives with divergent trajectories.
For what its worth, the performances in EMPIRE OF LIGHT are phenomenal. Olivia Coleman is no slouch when it comes to dynamo performances, but her role as Hilary Small might be her most compelling to date, with big, emotive scenes which play well for awards bodies and highlight reels nestled between contemplative, quietly nuanced moments. Michael Ward performs with a quiet stoicism, enigmatic at times as we try to understand at first his attraction to Hilary and bristling with subdued rage and determination as he collides with a world that ‘others’ because of the color of his skin.
The problem with EMPIRE OF LIGHT comes from intent, or at the very least, my subjective view of what Sam Mendes. Here is a film that has a lot to say about relationships, about how they can defy age, and experience, and race, and mental illness. It explores this not just as a reflection of the politics of 1980s England, but as a mirror through which we view similar issues occurring in our lives today, from the Black Lives Matter movement, the rise of white nationalist platforms, and the cultural reexamination of how mental illness and treatment are stigmatized. At the same time, this is a movie that captures a nostalgia for a time lost, of epic old theaters, of the magic of movies, of the beams of light passing through dust motes and bringing new worlds to life on a silver screen ringed by heavy curtains, of the click-clack-click of a reel-to-reel projector.
This is a movie about too many things. Or, it is a movie that I’ve ascribed the intention of too many things, and whether that is fair or not doesn’t matter when the end result - my personal experience and connection to this film - is as subjective as anyone else’s.
For what it is worth, the core emotional experience of this film is a profound one. It is difficult not to root for these two leads, who find chemistry and resonance despite the hurdles life has thrown in their individual paths. I even cried at one part. But the final product is less than the sum of its parts, making for an experience that works in the moment but struggles to maintain a foothold with distance and introspection.
Bottom Line: There are certainly worse ways you could spend an evening at the movies than with EMPIRE OF LIGHT. With what may be one of the strongest performances of the year turned in by Olivia Coleman, many will find this a satisfying watch, and will be able to connect with some or all of the many themes this film tries to juggle. Still, for a film with so much potential, it feels frustrating more than anything that it comes so close to nailing it but falling short of its intended mark.
3.5 out of 5 Bear Paws