Empire of Light * * *

Empire of Light is the latest film from Sam Mendes.   To be honest I cannot be sure what it's exactly about, even though most scenes are very good in their own right.  (There are also a few less successful scenes which the film - and us -  would be better without). 

It's set in an English seaside town in the early nineteen eighties. The location is a grand old cinema whose glory days are over. 

We are introduced to Hilary (Olivia Coleman) who is the duty manager.  She is a middle aged woman.  The rest of staff are young and have an appearance reflecting the period: punky girl, nerdy guy, long-hair guy etc.  

A new member of staff is introduced. A young black man, Stephen, who is warmly taken into the team.  Hilary shows him around the complex including the enormous upstairs area, unused because of lack of patronage and now falling into disrepair.

The manager (Colin Firth) frequently calls Hilary into his office for a "meeting" which is basically Hilary giving him sexual relief.  

Outside of work Hilary is an absolute loner.  She goes home to her flat each night, plays her records from the sixties and seventies, cooks and eats alone.   But she starts to develop a friendship with Stephen - which is nice and believable - which then evolves into a sexual friendship - which is weird and unbelievable.  It really is asking a lot of us. 

Stephen's got problems.  He's wasting his talent.  He should be at college.  He is also very aware of his skin colour and has often experienced taunting and bullying from racist idiots.  

Handsome young Steve and the crazy
lady old enough to be his Mum.

Hilary too has a problem which doesn't fully manifest itself fully until half way through the story, and when it does it comes on big-time as she spectacularly disrupts the cinemas most important night of the year.

So now we have the race card played, the mental health card played, but wait; suddenly we get the impression that Empire of Light is a nostalgic look at cinemas. Or is it?  

Norman the projectionist is the link to that. He gives us some insight into the "glory days" of cinema when film was presented on celluloid. (All I remember from that period is breakdowns,  jumpy prints with scratches all over them and crap sound, but each to their own).

Norman's projection room is plastered with posters from old films.  He has a picture of his child who he hasn't seen in twelve years.  He admits he probably couldn't relate to him anymore.  Is Norman telling us a life can be lived simply by watching other peoples lives through film? Or if you watch too many films you will lose your own life?

And when Hilary recovers does she tell us that this is the life she wants too? To live in a darkened space watching the lives of other people being projected on the screen. (Hmmm, makes me a bit worried about myself). 

Oh, back to Stephen, because he is still part of the plot ( I think).  He and Hilary realise their relationship isn't going to work.  He also suffers an awful traumatic experience which makes us think that perhaps this film is about the changing times in England in the early eighties.

The great English Poets WH Auden and Philip Larkin are given a look in too. Why not? Everything else is in the mix.

It's well acted, superbly shot, and well directed but not entirely satisfying.  In nearly every story one must turn a blind eye to the unlikely and unbelievable from time to time to move things along. But there is so much of it in Empire of Light one feels one's acceptance might be taken for granted.