Heartland: Empire of Light

Sam Mendes' love letter to the cinema is carried through by its performances and technical achievements, but not so much a memorable story to make this impactful.

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Having changed up his filmography from time to time with a midlife crisis drama that leads to a different focus of society ("American Beauty"), two Bond films ("Skyfall," "Spectre"), and one of the most memorable war films to remember for ages ("1917"), Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes surprised me when I didn’t know he was coming out with his latest period piece feature in "Empire of Light" until late summer. It is definitely more on a smaller scale than what we've seen from him lately. Still, we have a romantic drama that genuinely had the potential to be a serious contender with some noticeable contributing factors to make it a strong case. 

In the early 1980s, Hilary Small (Olivia Colman) is a middle-aged woman working as duty manager at a local theater on the seaside coast of England called Empire Cinema, a two-screen that’s fallen on hard times but making the best out of it each day. She’s a lonely woman working concessions where she never watched a movie there in her free time, not even "All That Jazz" or "The Blues Brothers." When a new employee named Stephen (Micheal Ward, "Small Axe: Lovers Rock") joins the staff, the two of them slowly build a bond with each other amidst the struggles they’re both facing in their lives.

When it was announced that it made the Heartland International Film Festival lineup, it seemed perfect not to include it. However, just from the trailer and how it’s supposed to be a personal story for Mendes, it would be easy to go into "Empire of Light" and expect the definition of escapism through his perspective. Does it provide the power of cinema as it’s a moving experience some of us have been missing for the past few years? Of course, it is that. But it’s more than providing the important message that gets lost in the shuffle and why the film wasn't great. 

The weakest aspect of why this wasn’t as great as it wanted it to be was the screenplay. Mendes wrote it himself, showing how he’s a stronger director than a writer. When I was sitting in the theater, I couldn’t help but think something was missing to make it poignant, especially for a love story. Nothing about the experience made it dull by any means. Still, it’ll leave you wondering if there’s a point to what Mendes is attempting to deliver in exploring specific themes in a fashion that’s not the most immersive. A few moments almost peaked through a sense of magic, especially near the end. Those almost got me, yet they were too little, too late.  

Despite delivering a message about helping one another out in fixing our problems, the film didn’t have a profound point in addressing issues such as mental health and racial tensions during that time in England, which made it unfocused with the ideas he wanted to get through this project.

It’s a narrative that tries too much to explain how to escape our problems in life and doesn’t make the overall concept acceptably pleasing. Showing there are better movies where the film is the main subject, that of a love letter to cinema, succeeds with better results. I wanted more of the love of movies since that’s what we need in life, right? Those emotional beats didn't have me tear up. And when it tries to inject moments of humor, they didn't. Though, a scene involving skipping stones got me to chuckle.

Olivia Colman is one of our best actresses working today, and it’s no surprise to know her nuanced performance as Hilary is another excellent role in her career, next to "The Favourite" and "The Father." The truth is, you’ll always be glued to the screen whenever Colman is captivating your attention in a more complex role than I imagined. But breakout Michael Ward, who I wasn’t unfamiliar with before this, gives a superb performance alongside Colman as Stephen, an aspiring architect trying to discover who he is in this world. There’s some charming chemistry between the two that works better when building friendship than being romantically involved.

You also got supporting roles from Toby Jones as the theater’s projectionist Norman and Colin Firth as the manager, Mr. Ellis. They weren’t in it as much as I wanted, but you already know these accomplished actors will be incredible in their limited screen time. This is also a rare time to see Firth play an unlikable character. 

Even though the story holds everything back from being great, there’s no denying that even when one of his movies never counts as the best, it is nothing short of amazing around the technical aspects. Because can we ever complain about Roger Deakins’ work? Of course, not. The Oscar-winning cinematographer’s fifth collaboration with the writer/director captures the beauty of the beach or staying on a shot to take in the design of a single theater. And when talking about the score, it’s no surprise Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross brought it to elevate the beautifully shot sequences with their piano-based music. Do I consider this one of their best work in the past decade? Not necessarily, but it’s hard not to give them credit. 

In terms of how this will play out during the award season, the mixed reviews so far show that this could miss out on receiving a Best Picture nomination. As for anywhere else, there’s a strong chance they can make room for a Best Actress nomination, but it’s possible to see some recognition for Cinematography and Score, respectively. It’s certainly a film that left me feeling conflicted about my initial thoughts after it was over, but it settles on being okay. You wished for a talent like Mendes that it should’ve been much better. And from what I’ve been hearing, Steven Spielberg’s upcoming "The Fabelmans" celebrates the love for cinema much more effectively. 

“Empire of Light” showcases another impressive Olivia Colman performance, along with Deakins' lush cinematography and a great score. That said, Sam Mendes' latest is missing a sense of magic that made me feel disconnected throughout the story. Even though it leaned more on the disappointment side for me, since this is near one of his weakest efforts as a filmmaker, I think it’ll find a personal connection to everyone else.