Empire of Light (2022)

Nominated for Best Cinematography    This is one of those movies where the description just lies to you because otherwise you'd never choose it.

Hilary (Olivia Coleman) is a paranoid schizophrenic who works as a manager for a movie theater on the south coast of England in the early 1980s.  She is very much just trudging through life until the arrival of Stephen (Michael Ward), a young man trying to get into college.  As Stephen and Hilary grow closer, she stops taking her medication, leading to predictable consequences.  Meanwhile, Thatcher's recession and austerity promote a white supremacy backlash that targets Stephen.

This doesn't have anything to do with "the power of movies" and pretty much every movie is about "human connection" but White Woman Discovers Racism or Mentally Ill Woman Goes Off Meds don't sell tickets, so I get it.

Still hated it though.

Empire of Light is currently streaming on HBO Max.