My least favorite genre in all of film is Oscar Bait. And this film is a very clear example of that. Sam Mendes' last film 1917 was one of the best war films I've ever seen. Such a fall from grace. The acting is decent, aside from Olivia Coleman who was great as usual. The drama was forced, manipulative and unearned. It didn't know if it wanted to be a romance, or if it wanted to be about loneliness or racism. It was mundanely all over the place. The other aspect that I really appreciated was the cinematography from the GOAT Roger Deakins. Overall, Empire of Light isn't that bad. But it was incredibly boring and unfocused which made it forgettable.
Review of Empire of Light
