Raised by a mentally ill mother, British director Sam Mendes (
1917
, the James Bond films
Skyfall
and
Spectre
) considered theater and cinema to be a second family at an early age, to which he pays homage in his latest film.
Empire of Light
, in theaters on Wednesday, tells the tormented story of a mentally unhealthy cinema employee (Olivia Colman) in an English seaside town.
Her only points of reference are the employees of the place, somewhat ghostly, until the arrival of a new recruit, a young black man (Michael Ward), with whom she will fall madly in love.
The 57-year-old director in an interview with AFP admitted that this latest work is very inspired by his young years: “
I did not grow up in a functional family.
Theater, cinema and sport were like my families during my youth
”.
Read alsoFor filmmaker Sam Mendes, neutral and unisex acting awards belong to the future
He immediately clarifies his thought: “
In
Empire of Light,
cinema acts as a crossroads for people of different generations who, in a way, would never see each other otherwise.
That's what I like.
It's completely my personal experience
. "
Trained in the theater, to which he always returns after his filming, Sam Mendes made a name for himself with
American Beauty
in 1999, which won the Oscar for best director.
After his two 007s, he definitely stands out as a director who counts with
1917
, a virtuoso fresco in a sequence shot on the First World War.
Empire of Light
takes a much more intimate turn, under the timid sun of the British coast, in the 1970s, and also evokes the latent racism of this society.
For Mendes, cinema is an intuitive art:
“Making a film is not always the result of a well-considered decision.
Sometimes you feel compelled to tell a specific story
.
tragic fate
And for him today, it was time to look back on the tragic fate of the one who gave birth to him: “
I had a good mother, full of energy and life.
But she had this disease.
She became manic.
She couldn't fall asleep, she started practically hallucinating.
They took her to the hospital, they gave her medicine.
And when she came back, she had gained weight, she had lost her self-esteem.
And it started again
."
Son of divorced parents, Sam Mendes spent his childhood between his mother and his father.
“
I started to understand that she was sick, that it was a cycle, when I reached adolescence.
But when you're a child, everything collapses
with each crisis.
These experiences have made me an observant, reserved and caring person.
Read also“The cinema has entered a new phase which resembles “life before” covid”
Sam Mendes started making his first works when he was a student, writing screenplays.
This work will have served as a catharsis for him:
“Directing a film crew or a theater company has something to do with taking care of someone who has problems.
It is about observing and controlling.
You are building an alternate universe that, unlike your life, you can control
.
Over the years, the director has learned that there are “
different ways to address everyone
”.
And his conception of directing actors has evolved a lot.
“When I started, I spoke a lot, even before an actor started doing anything.
I like actors who don't talk a lot
, he explains.
I think I prefer actors who are intuitive but, at the same time, not afraid of failure.
Who do not think too much about themselves, about their image”.
For
Empire of Light
, nominated for the Oscar for Best Cinematography, Sam Mendes chose Olivia Colman, the multi-award-winning British actress (including an Oscar), known for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in the television series The
Crown
.
And obviously, he greatly admires her talent:
"She's like a Ferrari in the body of a mini"
.