Cinema – Empire of Light 15

Sam Mendes as writer and director of this film has taken a lament for the nearly empty cinemas around the country and created an engrossing, poignantly observed and beautifully acted drama about love, life and the fragile art of movie-going.
A depressed cinema manager, Hilary, brilliantly played by Olivia Coleman works at the Empire in Margate in 1981 just as Britain slides into recession, unemployment and racism. Add a grumpy and pompous manager (Colin Firth), a dedicated projectionist (Toby Jones) and a new ticket-seller (Michael Ward) and you have a hit on your hands. An absolute winner of a film.