On EMPIRE OF LIGHT

 EMPIRE OF LIGHT is a tender, warm embrace of a film. Simple, well-told, terrifying at times, and touching. Written and directed by Sam Mendes, it stars Oscar winner Olivia Colman who gives us another strong dramatic performance. 

It opens with a montage of different locations within a big, classy cinema in coastal England. Empire is the name of this movie theater. It's the Christmas season in 1980. We meet Hilary, played by Olivia Colman. She lives alone. She eats alone. She has a medical appointment. The doctor asks if she's had "Any big mood swings?" There's mention of lithium.

Hilary is the manager of the Empire. She's usually in somber colors and rather drab, shapeless attire. We see that she's having an affair with a man but we can't tell right off if he's with her out of love or because she's accessible.

Then a handsome, charming young Black man is hired as the cinema's newest ticket taker. Hilary gives Stephen a work orientation. They fall into an easy friendship. As it progresses, we see color appear in Hilary's attire and cheeks. Her clothing takes shape. Stephen wants to go to college and study architecture. Hilary tells him "No one's going to give you the life you want. You have to go out and get it." One day on the streets, she sees Stephen but he doesn't see her. She walks after him and is stunned when he sees him verbally assaulted with racist taunts from three punks. 

A romance blossoms between the two co-workers on New Year's Eve and 1981 may be a good new year for Hilary and the Empire. The theater has been chosen for the premiere of CHARIOTS OF FIRE.

But we still wonder about the mentions of lithium during Hilary's medical appointment. Mood swings appear and then comes the gala for CHARIOTS OF FIRE. Hilary makes an unexpected appearance. Should Stephen be concerned?

Colman is quite good and so is newcomer Micheal Ward as Stephen. They're excellent together. Also, there's a lovely, wise performance from Toby Jones. Colin Firth stars as the boss of the theater staff.

This tale is about the power of human connection and bringing a bit of light into someone's life. EMPIRE OF LIGHT is not a great film, but it is a good one worth seeing. Director/writer Sam Mendes gave us AMERICAN BEAUTY, the James Bond thrillers SKYFALL and SPECTRE and the war film 1917. I love the simplicity of EMPIRE OF LIGHT as compared to those other films of his.

As an American, I had no idea Olivia Colman was such for formidable actress. She won the Best Actress Oscar for THE FAVOURITE the year that Glenn Close was the favorite for THE WIFE. Colman followed that with nominations for dramatic work in THE FATHER and THE LOST DAUGHTER.

I knew her from British sitcom work. Years ago, BBC America would air PEEP SHOW. She was a regular on that sitcom. She was very funny. Colman and comedian Robert Webb, one of her PEEP SHOW co-stars, played a couple of nudists out to win a free deluxe wedding ceremony in the 20th Century Fox mockumentary called CONFETTI. That 2006 comedy is a guilty pleasure of mine.

Yes, cheeky Robert Webb and Olivia Colman bared it for their art. I first saw CONFETTI at a preview screening in New York. In one office scene with the two nudists, the big screen made Webb's balls look the size of cantaloupes. And there you have it. Merry Christmas.