Nostalgia, racism, mental health, and the love of cinema are just some of the topics touched upon in Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes’ 2022 drama Empire of Light.
Empire of Light takes place in an old cinema house on the south coast of England in the early 1980s. The film focuses on the relationship between Hilary Small (Olivia Colman), the middle-aged mid-manager of the theater, and the new, young Black ticket taker Stephen (Micheal Ward). It’s made clear early on that Hilary is suffering from depression and takes medication to combat the illness – a medication she tells her psychiatrist makes her feel a bit numb. The doctor assures her she’ll get used to the drug and to give it time.
Hilary’s work life contributes to her depression. She’s engaged in a not-so-secret affair with her married boss, Donald Ellis (Colin Firth), and is simply going through the motions of her job while encompassed in a mental fog. This all changes when Stephen’s hired and almost immediately they’re drawn to each other. The two quickly end up in an unexpected – and unlikely – romance despite their age difference and the fact they have nothing in common except for working at the theater. And despite the fact Hilary’s basically his boss and should know better, given her relationship with Mr. Ellis.
Hilary’s attraction to this much-younger man makes her feel happy and reinvigorated for the first time in quite a while. She’s done with feeling tired and numb from her medication and stops taking it.
A short while into their relationship, Hilary and Stephen are at the shore enjoying a day off when she begins to experience strong mood swings due to going off her medication. Unfortunately, her decision to stop taking her meds ruins an otherwise fun day at the beach and drives them temporarily apart.
During their relationship, Hilary’s eyes are opened to the racism Stephen experiences from loathsome skinheads as well as from some older patrons of the movie house. She tries to comfort Stephen and sympathize with how it makes him feel, but her lack of understanding of what Stephen’s going through only makes it worse for him.
As their relationship goes through its ups and downs, Hilary’s mood swings become more and more erratic until, finally, she has the inevitable breakdown.
Slow and tedious, Empire of Light features strong performances from a very talented cast but is bogged down by an uneven script and too many subplots. Mendes tries to take on way too many issues, including racism, love of cinema, the guilt and shame of mental illness, and a mismatched interracial affair, and the result is a cluttered, clunky, and painfully boring film.
Olivia Colman delivers a decent performance as Hilary, a woman with justifiable resentment toward men who is just looking for some kind of happiness but, at times, becomes her own worst enemy.
Micheal Ward delivers a solid performance as Stephen, the stylish young man who has found himself at the movie house because his last relationship and his pursuit of college both fell short. Ward is a dynamic presence and shines in scenes where he tries to explain to Hilary how life has been for him and shares his fears for the future.
Sadly, impressive performances are not enough to salvage this ponderous and mundane film.
GRADE: C-
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, language, and brief violence
Running Time: 1 hour 59 minutes
Release Date: December 9, 2022
Studio: Searchlight Pictures
