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| editing = [[Lee Smith (film editor)|Lee Smith]]
| studio = {{Plainlist|
* [[
* [[Neal Street Productions]]
}}
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2022|9|3|[[49th Telluride Film Festival|Telluride]]|2022|12|9|United States|2023|1|9|United Kingdom}}
| runtime = 115 minutes<ref name=bbfc>{{cite web |title=''Empire of Light'' (15) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/empire-of-light-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda3mtq0 |publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification|BBFC]] |access-date=4 January 2022}}</ref>
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'''''Empire of Light''''' is a 2022 British-American [[romantic drama film]] directed, written, and co-produced by [[Sam Mendes]]. Set in an English coastal town in the early 1980s, the film is about the power of human connection during turbulent times. It stars [[Olivia Colman]], [[Micheal Ward]], [[Monica Dolan]], [[Tom Brooke]], [[Tanya Moodie]], [[Hannah Onslow]], [[Crystal Clarke]], [[Toby Jones]] and [[Colin Firth]].
The film had its world premiere at the [[49th Telluride Film Festival]] on 3 September 2022, and was released by [[
==Plot==
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Hilary sees Stephen being harassed by a group of [[White power skinhead|skinheads]] on the street and later deal with a racist customer and Stephen confides in her about the racism he faces. Hilary and Stephen go to the beach, where Stephen tells her about his first love, Ruby, who works at the same hospital as his mother. When Stephen asks about her past, she goes on an agitated rant about men and angrily destroys a sand castle they had been building.
Neil, a colleague, discovers their relationship and warns Stephen of Hilary's mental health. He tells Hilary it would be best if they end their sexual affair. Donald informs the workers that the cinema has been chosen for the regional premiere of ''[[Chariots of Fire]]''
Weeks later, back at the theatre, Donald has been replaced and Stephen begins training with Norman, the cinema's projectionist. He runs into Ruby at the cinema, and they start dating again. Hilary is released from the hospital and returns to work. Stephen advises her to see a movie at the cinema, something she has never done. During her welcome-back party, a skinhead crowd marches past the theatre. When they see Stephen, they break in and assault him. Hilary accompanies him to the hospital, where she meets Stephen's mother.
As Stephen recuperates, Hilary initially stays away. Norman confides in her that he has a son he has not seen in many years because he abandoned his family and cautions her not to run away. She visits Stephen in the hospital. His mother tells Hilary that she makes Stephen happy. An overjoyed Hilary rushes back to the theatre and has requests Norman to play
Stephen returns to the cinema but informs Hilary that, following her advice, he has decided to return to college and will be leaving town. Stephen remembers his times with Hilary at a going-away dinner with Ruby and his mother. The two meet in a park, where Hilary gives him a book and finally bids him goodbye.
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==Reception==
===Critical response===
▲The film has received mixed reviews. On the review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 45%, based on 242 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "''Empire of Light'' contains some fine performances and a few flashes of brilliance, but this tribute to the magic of cinema is disappointingly mundane."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/empire_of_light |title=Empire of Light |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=11 May 2023}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[Weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average score]] of 54 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/empire-of-light |title=Empire of Light Reviews |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=13 December 2022}}</ref> A more favourable review in ''[[The Guardian]]'' said the film was a "poignant, wonderfully acted drama".<ref name="Guardian"/>
[[Matt Zoller Seitz]] of ''[[RogerEbert.com]]'', rating the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, wrote that it "starts out a bit dim and unfocused and becomes sharper and more illuminating as it unreels." He also praised [[Roger Deakins]]' cinematography and [[Olivia Colman]]'s performance, but was more critical of the character of Stephen: "[H]e remains an abstraction for too long, to the point where it looks like the film is setting him up as more of a plot device (or sacrificial lamb) than a man. The movie trembles with intimations of impending doom for Stephen, and the dialogue mentions then-recent racial incidents. But [Sam] Mendes presents his anger, fear and distress with the same dissociated stare that freezes Hilary in her tracks when she sees skinheads tormenting Stephen on a sidewalk."<ref>{{cite web |last=Seitz |first=Matt Zoller |author-link=Matt Zoller Seitz |title=Empire of Light movie review & film summary (2022) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/empire-of-light-movie-review-2022 |access-date=23 January 2023 |work=[[RogerEbert.com]]}}</ref>
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