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Empire of Light (2022)
A mess, but a fairly enjoyable one
This movie is 50% drama/ romance and 50% tribute to cinema. The two storylines are not intertwined or coordinated very much, and I'm not really sure what they have to do with each other, but each is reasonably well done in its own right. A number of different themes were introduced- mental illness, racism, and sexual impropriety, to name a few- but were never fully explored or developed, so at times the plot points felt random. The interactions between the characters were captivating, but the "why" was mostly unanswered and it left a lot to the imagination. For example, an angry mob engaged in a racially motivated attack against a young black man, and his friend's compassion for him was nicely done, but what the protest was about or what was going on more broadly in the UK at the time were never addressed, so it had limited meaning. It was all about the relationships between the characters. The soundtrack, visuals, and acting were solid.
Overall: 6.5/10.