“Empire of Light” is the story of employees at a movie theater in the coastal town of Margate, United Kingdom, in the 1980’s. The main character is Hilary Small, the duty manager, whose struggles in life, particularly with bipolar disorder, begins to interfere with her job. British producer-director-screenwriter Sam Mendes (“1917” 2019) crafted an exquisite look at the relationships between the people at work at the Empire Cinema. He went a little overboard, as the film received an R rating for sexual content, language, and brief violence. He could have cut a handful of scenes and would have gotten a PG13 rating instead.
The cast is headed by Olivia Colman as Hilary, delivering a marvelous performance. Her character is certainly the fulcrum of the plot. Co-stars include Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Michael Ward, Monica Dolan, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Crystal Clark, Sara Stewart, Ron Cook, and Justin Edwards. “Empire of Light” was not terribly successful at the box office for TSG Entertainment, Neal Street Productions, and Searchlight Pictures, a part of the media conglomerate The Walt Disney Company.
Empire of Light (2022)
cinema
My Review
“Empire of Light” is the story of employees at a movie theater in the coastal town of Margate, United Kingdom, in the 1980’s. The main character is Hilary Small, the duty manager, whose struggles in life, particularly with bipolar disorder, begins to interfere with her job. British producer-director-screenwriter Sam Mendes (“1917” 2019) crafted an exquisite look at the relationships between the people at work at the Empire Cinema. He went a little overboard, as the film received an R rating for sexual content, language, and brief violence. He could have cut a handful of scenes and would have gotten a PG13 rating instead.
The cast is headed by Olivia Colman as Hilary, delivering a marvelous performance. Her character is certainly the fulcrum of the plot. Co-stars include Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Michael Ward, Monica Dolan, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie, Crystal Clark, Sara Stewart, Ron Cook, and Justin Edwards. “Empire of Light” was not terribly successful at the box office for TSG Entertainment, Neal Street Productions, and Searchlight Pictures, a part of the media conglomerate The Walt Disney Company.