When the first pictures of “Império da Luz” were published (see trailer below), gave the impression that the new film by Sam Mendes was released three years later “1917”, would focus on the magic of cinema and how it is built in cinema halls such as the classic “Cinema Paradiso”. Not quite.
The feature, which opens the Rio 2022 Festival this Thursday (6th), and has yet to set a release date in Brazil, really shows the charm of films and their effect on people who work in cinemas. But that’s just a small part of what the Oscarwinning American Beauty filmmaker hopes to explore in his new work.
Watch the trailer for the movie Empire of Light
So the director (who also wrote the screenplay) sets his story in the coastal town of England, where Hilary Smalls (Olivia Colman, Oscar winner for “The favourite”), manager of the cinema Empire. His life is basically home to work, without much emotion and to make matters worse he has an unresolved affair with his boss, Mr. Ellis (Colin Firth, Oscar winner for ‘The King’s Speech’).
Until one day a new collaborator, Stephen (Michael Ward, Bafta winner for “Small Axe”, available on Globoplay), comes to the cinema. Soon, Hilary and the young man become friends, and the relationship becomes more and more intimate. But some troubles from her past and the whirlwind of things happening in the country end up shattering her life.
2 of 5 Toby Jones and Michael Ward in a scene from Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light — Photo: Disclosure
Toby Jones and Michael Ward in a scene from Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light — Photo: Disclosure
Império da Luz already draws attention for its incredible technical part, mostly signed by the director’s regular collaborators. A good example is the beautiful photograph signed by Roger Deakins (who won the Oscar for “1917”), which adopts a drier tone at the beginning of the film to emphasize the protagonist’s boring life. She gradually gains color as she breaks out of her routine.
In addition, Deakins manages good sequences, as in the scene where the characters watch the fireworks at the New Year’s Eve party or when showing the films being shown in the cinema. The pictures underline the good quality of the project and can be remembered with awards in 2023.
Another highlight is the fine soundtrack, signed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (twotime Academy Award winner for Best Soundtrack for The Social Network and Soul), collaborating with Mendes for the first time. Without exaggeration, the music they created sets the simple and dramatic tone that the film demands.
3 of 5 Scene from the film “Império da Luz” by Sam Mendes — Photo: Disclosure
Scene from the film “Empire of Light” by Sam Mendes — Photo: Disclosure
The film also shows that Sam Mendes, writing the screenplay for the first time himself, is still a better director than a screenwriter. the filmmaker of “007 Operation Skyfall” He still proves very good at leading his cast and getting the right emotions out of his actors. However, he cannot maintain his level as a writer.
This happens because Mendes wants to deal with several topics such as loneliness, melancholy, racism, machismo and other topics at once and does not get any further depth. Everything is very superficial and the viewer is not able to reflect much on what is happening on the big screen.
At least the relationship between Hilary and Stephen, the film’s mainspring, is not as Manichaean as usual when it comes to showing relationships between people of different ethnicities, whether romantic or friendly (such as “Green Book: The Guide”). The feature shows how one changes the life of the other without forcing the bar and with more compelling solutions.
4 of 5 Hilary (Olivia Colman) and Stephen (Michael Ward) in a scene from the movie Empire of Light — Photo: Disclosure
Hilary (Olivia Colman) and Stephen (Michael Ward) in a scene from the movie Empire of Light — Photo: Disclosure
In fact, one of the greatest merits of “Império da Luz” is the good choice of the protagonist duo. Olivia Colman continues to steal scenes with great talent and convinces by showing the complexity of her Hilary, who sometimes proves sane, only to soon show unstable behavior thanks to her traumas.
The littleknown Michael Ward, on the other hand, is not intimidated by the awardwinning actress “My father” and proves its brilliance on stage, whether in the most relaxed moments or in the denser sequences. Aside from Coleman, the actor has a good partnership with Toby Jones (Armin Zola from the Captain America films), who plays projectionist Norman, who is responsible for the film’s most poetic moments.
5 of 5 Colin Firth and Michael Ward work together in a theater in the movie Empire of Light — Photo: Disclosure
Colin Firth and Michael Ward work together in a theater in the movie Empire of Light — Photo: Disclosure
As for Colin Firth, his portrayal fits his dubious character and is quite functional in a pivotal scene of the film. But it doesn’t quite stand out like Colman and Ward. Also because his character is not that prominent in the plot. The rest of the cast is satisfactory.
“Empire of Light” finally achieves its goal of captivating audiences, even more so for those who love watching a movie on a big screen. But it lacked a little more care in telling his story. It’s not the best feature of Sam Mendes’ career, but it’s worth the ticket. After all, watching films in the dark of the cinema retains all its charm.