‘Empire of Light’ captivating and compassionate

The Dietrich Winter Film Festival show dates and times for ‘Empire of Light’ are as follows: Sun., Feb. 19, at noon; Tues., Feb. 21, at 2:30 p.m.; Fri., Feb. 24, at noon; Sun., Feb. 26, at 2 p.m.; Thu., Mar. 2, at 2:30 p.m.; Sun., Mar. 5, at 4:30 p.m.; and Thu., Mar. 6, at 7:15 p.m.

Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, ‘Empire of Light’ is a powerful story about human connection and the magic of cinema.

The duty manager of a seaside cinema, who is struggling with her mental health, forms a relationship with a new employee on the south coast of England.

‘Empire of Light’ is a beautiful, moving little film that serves as a love letter to the world of cinema blended in with an emotional story of a woman who is mentally struggling.

Actress Olivia Colman gives a rather amazing performance as Hilary, the cinema’s duty manager grappling with her mental health. Her performance can be quite heart-warming in a few scenes and when the character’s mental health struggles start to appear and take over, Colman just knocks it out of the park.

Her relationship with one of the cinema’s workers (Stephen) seems to calm her struggles for a while and makes her feel herself again. And, slowly over time, the film shows that someone’s struggles with mental health can quickly take over. I’ve only seen the actress in a few projects (The Crown; The Father; Murder on the Orient Express) and she’s brilliant in all of them.

A good portion of the film takes place in the coastal cinema. The cinema sequences can be quite nostalgic due to the feel of an older cinema and some of the 1980s films that are mentioned during that period of time. One part of the film that is really cool and interesting is when Norman (the cinema’s projectionist) shows the new employee how to work the reels of the films. Watching how the projectionist’s would make sure the reels change over and work without anyone really noticing in the audience is amazing.

‘Empire of Light’ is also a beautifully shot film. The film also dives into some of the racial tensions that were still going on at the time in England. So, this film can have quite a bit going on at times, yet it’s amazingly paced and beautifully done.

During the Winter Film Festival, make sure to give ‘Empire of Light’ a look. It’s a great little film that dives into the tough subject of mental health and also the love of cinema and will leave you fairly moved by the end.

The cast: Olivia Colman as Hilary; Michael Ward as Stephen; Colin Firth; Donald Ellis; Tom Brooke as Neil; Tanya Moodie as Delia; Hannah Onslow as Janine; Crystal Clarke as Ruby; Monica Dolan as Rosemary and Toby Jones as Norman.

‘Empire of Light’ is written and directed by Sam Mendes, who has recently brought us ‘1917,’ ‘Spectre’ and ‘Skyfall.’

The film was shot in the town of Margat, which is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in southeast England. The cinema scenes were also shot at the Dreamland Margate Cinema.

‘Empire of Light’ is rated R for sexual content, language and brief violence and has a running time of 115 minutes.

https://youtu.be/3JA3bD5xs-Q