Rent Empire of Light on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Sam Mendes
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A drama about the power of human connection during turbulent times, set in an English coastal town in the early 1980s.
Verdict
This movie really looks great, and that's the most notable thing about it. This is a look at a woman's daily life and struggle with mental issues. While there are sub-plots, they aren't developed enough to make the impact they should. This feels like someone's love letter to their youth or the movie theater they worked at with added drama on top of it. I want this movie to do more or make a connection. This is half a movie.
It depends.
Review
Hilary (Olivia Colman) lives an unfulfilled life. It's not because she's single, it's due to the malaise that pervades her every action. She's devoid of joy as she toils at this theater in a monotonous rut. She meets Stephen (Micheal Ward) and instantly likes him. She's invigorated, and when he returns her affections Hilary is overjoyed. We've got this plot with Hilary and Stephen, but where is it going? There's an age gap, and the movie makes it a point to highlight their racial difference.
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| Hilary Colman plays Hilary |
The movie feels a bit like love of the cinema or a memory of working at a cinema. Initially I wondered if this would become sentimental like Cinema Paradiso. It does not. Hilary and Stephen work in a beautiful building, and the cinematography in this movie is great. Every shot looks absolutely beautiful. This movie could be about a lost institution. It is to a degree, but the cinema doesn't play that much of a role.
What is Stephen's plight? His character is certainly secondary to Hilary with the story presentetation. We see the racism Stephen faces, but only from Hilary's point of view. I keep thinking this movie wants to take another step, but it never does. I wish Stephen was as well defined as Hilary. We mostly see him through Hilary, the job, or a couple of racist encounters. I wondered if this movie was going to build on how this building connects two different people.
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| Micheal Ward, Hilary Colman play Stephen, Hilary |
This relationship causes Hilary to become self destructive as she struggles with mental health. This seems to be a movie about mental health, but I don't know if there's supposed to be a link to the theater or if the racist encounters we see are a false equivalency of being trapped.
Most of the initial scenes have Hilary subjugated by others. It's when she meets Stephen that she takes control and the initiative. Maybe this movie is about control in general. The control Hilary's job exerts on her, outside forces that want to control Stephen, Hilary's mental health and the influence that has on her relationship. In the end the movie doesn't quite make a connection. This movie wants to say something, but doesn't land it. It's a rumination on the past, and maybe the point is to be melancholic. Hilary lives an unfilled life. She meets someone who captures her interest and her life becomes worse instead of better. If the end of the movie were the middle of the plot, maybe this goes somewhere. This ends, and I can't help but think, that's it?
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