In the early 1980s, the director of a large cinema on the south coast of England, unresponsive to the world because of her medication to control her bipolar disorder, feels reborn thanks to the presence of a new employee.
Let’s not go four ways: Empire of Light does not fulfill all its promises. Given the big names present, both in front of and behind the camera, also given the fact that this film is drawn from the personal memories of Sam Mendes, who signs the script alone (a first for him), we frankly expected more.
What we knew about this project, the story of which is set in the early 1980s, initially suggested an ode to cinema, a nostalgic vision of the experience of going to in a large room to discover a work. One would thus have thought that, like Steven Spielberg, Sam Mendes would offer us a love letter to 7e art at the The Fabelmansespecially as the director ofAmerican Beauty has given a lot of thought to the future of his art during the pandemic, further fearing the outright demise of indoor cinema.
In this respect, the most interesting aspect of the new film of the one who has made three blockbusters in a row (Sky Fall, Spectrum and 1917) is unquestionably linked to the place where the story takes place. Most of the story is indeed set in the Empire, a magnificent old-fashioned cinema, with a marquise outside and a palace entrance. It is also within the walls of this theater that all the characters evolve.
Sam Mendes focuses mainly on painting the portrait of Hilary, the director of the cinema (Olivia Colman, always excellent) struggling with bipolar disorder, for which the prescribed medication makes her life a little always pass by. above. Of course, we subscribe to this awareness of a very widespread disease, but about which we speak too little, but it is not said that the filmmaker has found the best way to approach this theme. The sexual favors demanded of the boss (Colin Firth), the affair Hilary begins with a new employee victim of racism (Micheal Ward), and the way the social upheavals of the time are portrayed seem a little artificial.
Above all, there is too little question of cinema in this feature film, paradoxically. When Hilary sits alone in her big room to watch a movie, which she usually never does, it’s like too little, too late. Even if she falls on Being There…
Empire of Light is showing in its original version.
Drama
Empire of Light
Sam Mendes
With Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward and Colin Firth
1:54 a.m.