Both of the films that I viewed on Sunday unfold at a measured pace. We learn facts about the characters slowly as the film progresses. Some of the information we are waiting for and some come as a complete surprise.
Set in the early 80s, Empire of Light has a sad story to tell, one that touches on mental illness, incest, sexual exploitation, racist violence and other grim facts of life. The scriptwriter goes too far. This is too many things to cover and they weigh what is otherwise a beautiful film down. The absolute great acting by Olivia Coleman carries the film as best she can. Her performance is definitely deserving of award nominations. The music is part of the storytelling and for those old enough bring back visions of earlier days.
Academy Award (Blade Runner 2049 (2018) and 1917 (2020)) Cinematographer Roger Deakins, once again, is the real star of this film and could win a third for this film.. His carefully crafted shots grab the viewer’s attention throughout the film. They pull us into the film and we feel the impact of the scene whether it be bright or dark. The vibes from the screen are powerful. One cannot help feel the nostalgia floating through the air in the run down, once beautiful theater. I found myself thinking of some of the old Balaban and Katz movie palaces. This film requires at least two viewings to catch and appreciate Deakins and Mendes nuances in each scene. Empire of Light is in theaters only.
The Eternal Daughter provides a tour-de-force for Tilda Swinton’s acting. Swinton plays a dual role of mother and daughter. There is no blurring of her characters. The setting of Eternal Daughter also provides a repository for memories along with some ghostlike activities.the film is “a keenly discerning movie about the relationship of mother and daughter, who are bound together by a fierce love but kept apart by unbridgeable differences of character and of experience.” (Richard Brody, Time Magazine) I was engrossed into the film from its beginning all the way to the end. The director, Joanna Hogg, makes frequent use of close-ups. With Swinton on screen for every scene this technique helps us keep the characters straight. This is a ghost story but we are never sure whose ghost.
Several times during the movie Swinton, as the daughter, is seen on one side of the room while her mother is in bed on the other side. But the next shot we get of the daughter finds her in bed on the same side the mother was in the previous shot. Whether these are errors or a clue to what we find out later, is beyond my expertise.
Eternal Daughter is showing in limited theaters and on Netflix.
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