by Matt St Clair
The trailer for Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light promises to capture, if you will, the spirit of the Nicole Kidman AMC ad. Something that depicts the escapist power of moviegoing and 'that indescribable feeling we get when the lights dim.' As Toby Jones’ projectionist character says at one point, there is something about the experience of that beam of light bursting from the projector when the previews start, the theater darkens, and we’re all huddled together to escape into another place or time.
In the film’s entirety, are we treated to the ode to moviegoing that the trailer promises? The answer is... somewhat. As it turns out, Empire of Light serves as a meditation on both mental illness and race as well as the power of cinema...
But the script doesn’t know how much it wants to explore the three themes it has on its mind, resulting in a picture where the stylized direction and performances nearly outweigh the film’s undercooked substance.
Let’s start with the performances. As one can imagine, lead actress Olivia Colman wows us yet again. Colman’s portrayal of Hilary, a lonely theater worker, offers the same kind of tragicomic brilliance shown in her Oscar-winning role in The Favourite. When her character’s mental health troubles are explored and Colman leans into the tragedy she packs a seering emotional punch. Every bit her equal is Micheal Ward as Stephen, Hilary’s new co-worker whom she romances. While his performance isn’t as showy, his screen presence leaves an indelible impression.
Meanwhile, the luminous score by the duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross that accompanies Hilary and Stephen during their romantic encounters casts a dizzying spell. The cinematography by maestro Roger Deakins is similarly majestic. Sequences that capture two lovers on the beach or engaged in casual conversation at the theater are filmed with glistening flair. They help make a film that's at least partially trying to be an ode to cinema as cinematic as it can be.
If Empire of Light were stripped of some of its half-baked thematic material, we might’ve had a simpler story about the power of cinema-going aided by picturesque cinematography, a blissful score, and terrific performances. Instead, all those positive elements end up masking an untidied script. Olivia Colman makes it worth watching, but one might be better off continuing to watch the Nicole Kidman ad on loop. C+
Empire of Light is screening in the Special Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival and will be released in US cinemas on December 9th.