This week’s Cinechats selection: Empire of Light
The campus community is invited to enjoy a film screening presented by Cinechats, which is supported in part by Â鶹´«Ã½ University, Durham College, Arts Forum and the Durham Council for the Arts. Age restrictions apply, as most films are rated for those 18 years of age and older.
This week’s selection is (U.K./USA, 2022). There's a line in this film that will resonate with film devotees: "That little beam of light is escape." The beam in question emanates from a film projector. It's our magical doorway into other places, other times, other lives, other what ifs. It's a way to escape the cares, worries, and humdrum of our lives. But it is not only an avenue of egress; it is also a way into other (vicarious) experiences and adventures. The setting here is a grand old cinema in the coastal town of Margate in southeast England. The staff at the Empire Theater are a surrogate family, and their character-driven story is at once gentle and touching. Film here is a metaphor for life and for the light within us: "A spark between the carbon makes the light. And nothing happens without light." Light unexpectedly comes into the life of middle-aged Hilary (Olivia Coleman) through a growing attachment to the new staffer Stephen (Michael Ward). He's younger, and he's Black - at a time (1981) when Britain is experiencing outbursts of racial intolerance by a loud minority. But they hit it off. Hilary shrugs off the numbness of the psyche with which she's been beset; but her new-found happiness prompts her to neglect the medications that moderate her mood swings. She ends her dead-end sexual relationship with her married and somewhat predatory boss (Colin Firth), and she starts to bloom.
Written and directed by Sam Mendes, the film was nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, Cinematography at the Oscars, and Best British Film, Supporting Actor (Michael Ward), and Cinematography at BAFTA.
Schedule and venue
- Thursday, April 6, 6:30 p.m. (doors open at 6), Science Building, Room UA 1220
For more information about Cinechats, call 905.576.0359. Note: Film selections are subject to change.
