Empire of Light

Southern England in the 1980s: Hilary is the go-to girl, so to speak, at the cinema called "Empire Cinema" in a small coastal town. She unlocks the doors in the morning and takes care of the sales. But the real challenge lies elsewhere: Hilary is suffering from schizophrenia. The cinema owner Mr. Ellis shamelessly exploits Hilary's mental illness both emotionally and physically. This does not go unnoticed by her colleagues, who do not intervene. Hilary reluctantly puts up with everything - until Stephen starts a new job at the cinema. He is placed at her side and she shows him the ropes. And in the process, the two become closer and fall in love, despite their greater age difference. But the tender plant of fresh love threatens to die quickly in view of Hilary's experiences of abuse and the racism to which Stephen, as an Afro-European, is exposed.