Its final, confused assertion that the power of cinema is capable of salving the wounds of major social ailments is too ambitious a sentiment for a film that never really does anything to prove its own thesis.

Empire of Light is a dull historical romance that isn’t even amusing enough to be offensive. It has its moments, but you’d be hard pressed to remember them later.

These are tricky scenes to bring off, but Mendes has written them with such care and Colman performs them with such a delicate awareness of just how far they should be taken that the swift changes in pace and tone don’t hit a false note.

Aside from the beauty of this film, I’m struggling to think of many positives. The script desperately needed restraint. And I’ve come away from Empire of Light wondering what the point of this film is.