Empire of Light (2023)

We loved this layered story of a lonely woman working at a vintage movie theatre on the southeastern coast of England in 1980-81. The riveting performance by Olivia Colman, the captivating story, the Oscar-nominated cinematography, and the magnificent art deco location/sets all contributed to our enjoyment. The references to and posters of movies current to the time are fun, too.

Micheal Ward as her co-worker Stephen, Colin Firth as her boss Mr. Ellis, and Toby Jones as the dedicated projectionist are some of the excellent supporting cast.

Sam Mendes directs from his own script (the first time he has not used a co-writer), documenting social mores and the inherent racism of England at the time. In 1980 he was 15, living in Reading, England, about 150 miles west of Margate, where the movie is set and some of it was shot. 

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross's dreamy score can be streamed on Apple Music. Roger Deakins is the nominated cinematographer and Mark Tildesley the production designer.

Colman was last blogged for The Lost Daughter; Ward for Small Axe; Firth, Mendes, and Deakins for 1917; Jones for First Cow; Reznor & Ross for Soul; and Tildesley for Phantom Thread.

We watched it on HBO on February 25. It can also be rented on some platforms.