Rejoice! As our patron saint Nicole Kidman has foretold, movies are magic, and the teaser trailer for Empire of Light testifies to that eternal truth. Sam Mendes‘ first film after 1917 features a dreamy cast, a cinema-celebrating vibe, the gorgeous visuals of Roger Deakins, and a likely-flawless soundscape from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Did you want an official synopsis? Sure thing:
“Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, Empire of Light is a powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema.” That human connection is between characters played by Oscar winner Olivia Coleman and BAFTA winner Michael Ward. The other humans in the film include Oscar winner Colin Firth and Toby Jones. Empire of Light, which will see theaters for a limited award-qualifying run on December 9th, will play at the BFI London Film Festival on October 12th, which is when we can expect reviews to pop up.
There’s no doubt this is going for Oscar glory. The cast, the prestige behind the camera, and the release date all speak to high hopes with the Academy. Plus, AMPAS loooooooves movies about movies, so this thing was basically constructed in a lab to please the voters. Beyond awards hope, Empire of Light simply looks like a gorgeous romance that demands a darkened room and a very big screen.
