Empire of Light (2022) review

Or, Cinema Purgatorio.  In the early 1980's, lonely movie theatre manager Hilary (Olivia Colman) lives alone, struggles with mental issues (she's prescribed lithium) and is the "side piece" for her married boss Donald (Colin Firth) but finds herself smitten with new hire Stephen (Micheal Ward), who is black and experiences discrimination regularly.  This is the first script Mendes wrote by himself, and for future releases he might want to rethink that decision: there's an abundance of Bad Symbolism (a pigeon with a broken wing, a smashed up sand castle), the "relationship" with Hilary and Stephen feels shoehorned in and whenever it needs extra "drama," it brings in skinheads or members of the National Front to throw out some slurs and punches.  You know it's a lost cause when you have Colman as your lead and cinematographer Roger Deakins and it still doesn't work ... and what sane mind gives someone Larkin's High Windows as a parting gift?  Oh, wait....