Perhaps surprisingly, Empire of Light turns out to be Sam Mendes’ first credit as both writer and director. Set in 1980s England, on the surface it’s a touching and nuanced romance between a middle-aged white woman struggling with depression and a gentle, 20-something black man. Centred on a faded Art Deco cinema, it’s also a love letter to the movies, laced with nostalgia for a simpler, analogue age before pictures binged on CGI. The rise of British nationalism in the Thatcher era lends grit and gives the drama a kick in the pants whenever it threatens to topple over into sentiment.

Olivia Colman in Empire of Light, Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios

The action takes place in the seaside town of Margate, immaculately captured by legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins (The Shawshank Redemption, Dead Man Walking, Skyfall ) in all its drizzly, end-of-the-pier grandeur. Hilary (a warm yet disturbingly brittle performance by Olivia Colman) is the Empire’s steadfast assistant manager. As the cinema’s beating heart, she opens and locks up, sells tickets, cleans the auditorium, and generally keeps the staff – a collection of oddballs and misanthropes – in line. Touching cameos...