For his first solo feature, the Oscar-winning director underwrites a romance between two characters who fall apart in a small, faded seaside resort in the south of England in the mid-1980s.
It’s 1981 at Empire, a cinema in a very monotonous seaside town on the south coast of England. Middle-aged manager Hilary Small (Olivia Coleman) struggles with severe depression. He befriends Steven (Michael Ward), a much younger employee, the son of West Indian immigrants who were victims of racist attacks. When one day they discover a pigeon with a broken wing, they both recognize themselves in this lonely and vulnerable creature. An unexpected romance then develops between these two creatures on the sidelines while they care for a bird that will disrupt Hilary’s dreary routine, as well as her selfish boss and lover (Colin Firth).
This intimate film by Sam Mendes was highly anticipated (The collapse of the sky, American beauty) depicts a love story that relies primarily on the shared grief of its protagonists. Written by Sam Mendes, his first solo effort (he co-wrote 1917, with Christy Wilson-Kearns), reveals the suffering of his characters through the eyes of another and thus engages with feelings of compassion and injustice. That is also the promise‘a beautiful declaration of love for cinema with an arena that invites you to escape. Empire of Light will appear in theaters on March 1.
Video trailer with Barbie, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling
Source: Le Figaro
