Empire Of Light

As a critic, one is immediately suspicious of films about cinemas. There are some good ones, sure, but even those tend to be heavily sentimental. Empire of Light, thankfully, is a rather different beast. Though it does touch briefly on the magic of the cinema experience, the bulk of its narrative is concerned with other things, with the titular Empire functioning only as a backdrop to a story about the lives of its staff.

It’s coming out during awards season and stars Olivia Colman, so you won’t be surprised to hear that her performance has attracted some major nominations – and deservedly so. She plays Hilary, the lynchpin of the team, who has been there for years and can look after just about everything, including the married manager’s sexual needs. She’s not really satisfied with her life, but seems reasonably content, and has a reason to value stability.

The story begins with the arrival of a new staff member, twentysomething Stephen (Micheal Ward), whom Hilary quickly forms a bond with. What begins as friendship soon transforms into a romantic relationship, but although they have a lot of fun together, strong emotion isn’t something which Hilary is well equipped to deal with. She’s schizophrenic, and when her mental health begins to deteriorate, it’s not just their relationship that’s at risk.

What makes this otherwise modest character drama stand out is not simply the quality of the performances, but the rarity of cinematic stories about schizophrenic people which avoid sensationalism and allow for proper character arcs. Hilary is not defined by her illness any more than Stephen is defined by the colour of his skin, though he experiences racist violence. Both are fully rounded characters, and this, together with their lack of concerns about their age difference (which is never directly referenced), creates a sense that anything could happen. Writer/director Sam Mendes plays fast and loose with the conventions of romance, delivering something which feels more human and less easily categorised.

With Roger Deakins handling the cinematography and making the most of the magical light found on parts of England’s south coast, the film never ceases to be visually absorbing. Narratively it’s a little crude and simplistic early on, but it builds in confidence and the characters become more interesting as we learn more about them. It’s a personal project for Mendes, whose own mother had to cope with mental illness and a world hostile to any kind of difference, but there’s comedy as well as tragedy in these messy lives. A scene in which Hilary takes to the stage at the opening of a film and receives polite applause will amuse anyone who has sat through such speeches and realised how little attention the impatient audience is actually paying to the words.

Though limited in scope, Empire Of Light has a lot to recommend it. For Coleman fans it’s a must, and based on his efforts here, it seems only a matter of time until Ward is also attracting serious critical attention.