Empire of Light

In Margate in 1980, Hilary works at a cinema and forms a relationship with Stephen, a young Black man who has just been hired. Behind it sit both Hilary's bipolar disorder and the racist violence of the period. Sam Mendes wrote a film alone for the first time here. The most praised element is the photography. Roger Deakins was nominated for cinematography at the 95th Academy Awards, and the historic Dreamland cinema in Margate served as the main location. Olivia Colman plays Hilary and Micheal Ward plays Stephen. Critics liked the performances and found the structure weak. The Rotten Tomatoes consensus is blunt: fine performances and a few flashes of brilliance, but this tribute to the magic of cinema is disappointingly mundane. The most repeated objection is that the two themes, the romance and the social violence, never connect. It grossed 11.4 million dollars worldwide. Who it is for: anyone who wants to see Deakins work, and viewers curious about Colman's performance. Who it is not for: people expecting a film about loving cinema. The marketing promises that and the film does not deliver it.