Movie: Empire of Light
Nominated for: Cinematography
How I watched: HBOMax
When I fell asleep: I did not
When it had me: Olivia Colman
When it lost me: Confusion over themes
What systems does it challenge: Racism, Supremacy, Misogyny
Content Warning: Mental Health Crisis, Hate crimes
Here's what I know. Every time Roger Deakins shoots a movie, he gets nominated. Fifteen nominations in 18 years. Is it reflexive at this point? Probably not? But I can't point to anything special in this movie. It looks wonderful! But it doesn't stand out for its pastels like All Quiet on the Western Front, or its rich color and texture like Elvis, or its sparsely controlled visuals like Tar, or its grandiosity like Bardo. I'm honestly frustrated with myself for having an MFA in Film Production at not being better at spotting talent in this category.
Olivia Colman is unbelievably engaging in this film, as always, and I was invested and cared for the characters and their lives. Even so, something fell short in the assembly of talents here and didn't congeal into the masterpiece it felt like this should have been. Maybe it tried to be about too many things all at once? Racism, sexism, mental health, romance and friendship, changing times and stubborn truths and, of course, the movies. The film just struggled with juggling it all.
It's still a good watch with good performances. I guess I just expected more.
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