MOVIE · 2022

Empire of Light

DramaRomance119 min

At an old seaside cinema on England’s south coast in the early 1980s, duty manager Hilary (Olivia Colman) is trying to keep her life in balance while struggling with her mental health. When a new employee arrives, Micheal Ward’s Stephen becomes an unexpected source of connection inside the worn grandeur of the Empire’s corridors, projection rooms, and lobby. Their relationship unfolds against the routines of the theater’s staff and the mounting racial tension outside its doors, tying an intimate workplace romance to the wider unrest shaping the town.