Olivia Colman
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Colin Firth
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Toby Jones
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Tom Brooke
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Hannah Onslow
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Michael Ward
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Crystal Clarke
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Mark Field
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Mark Ryan
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Adrian McLoughlin
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Justin Edwards
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Tanya Moodie
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Olivia Colman | Colin Firth | Toby Jones | |||
Tom Brooke | Hannah Onslow | Michael Ward | |||
Crystal Clarke | Mark Field | Mark Ryan | |||
Adrian McLoughlin | Justin Edwards | Tanya Moodie |
Olivia Colman | Colin Firth | ||
Toby Jones | Tom Brooke | ||
Hannah Onslow | Michael Ward | ||
Crystal Clarke | Mark Field | ||
Mark Ryan | Adrian McLoughlin | ||
Justin Edwards | Tanya Moodie |
When Stephen (Micheal Ward) arrives as an eager new employee, the two form a quick, if outwardly unlikely, connection. Hilary hides a troubled past, struggling to manage her mental health, while Stephen, a young Black man, grapples with the racism rampant in 1980s Britain. Both wounded by aggressions outside their control, they find an escape and safe harbour in one another – but their relationship, like the Empire cinema itself, cannot last forever, and soon the pair must face the reality of their differing futures.
Ward gives an exceptional performance opposite Colman, who realises another remarkable character, equal parts sweet and shocking, as a woman filled with emotions that are considered socially inappropriate to express. Master cinematographer Roger Deakins exquisitely photographs the inhabitants of this story, created with great tenderness and compassion by writer-director Sam Mendes, making Empire of Light a love letter to the people who come together under the glow of the cinema, and to the beautiful tales they take away for the rest of their lives.