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The Empire

Lyna Khoudri

Anamaria Vartolomei

Camille Cottin

Fabrice Luchini

Brandon Vlieghe

Julien Manier

Bernard Pruvost

Philippe Jore

Annie Tardivon

Marie Vasez

Cédric Fortin

Annick Lefevre

Tony Devanne

Giovanny Dupetit

Giovanni Boutillier

Olivier Delattaignant

Bruno Darras

Gino Evrard

Annick Bultel

Natacha Oliviera Da Costa

Marie Lodyga

Florian Dausque

Frédéric Castagno

Pascal Legrand

Isabelle Billion

Amandine Fricker

Patrick Dupont

Olivier Blon

Etienne Spire

Tanguy Ducamps

Florence Caudron

Antoine Caulliez

Amandine Breton

Amélie Tanguy Buneville

Isabelle Dupont

Valérie Gratenoix

Sayan Burghgraeve

Célien Bruet

Melvin Fontaine

Tayron Oboeuf

Mathys Duchilier

Owen Hulin

Aron Fontaine

Devann Lefèvre

Marco Fiorenzano

Gianluigi Pennino

Emiliano Barrella

Orazio Cristiano

Andrea Iovino

Luigi Fiorentino

Giuseppe Messere

Martinica Ferrara Strova

Nicole Barbieri

Raffaella Gianfrano

Paolo Ladisa

Claudio Ladisa

Giovanni Iovino

Iolanda Crispino

Elisabetta La Padula

Marcello Giuliano

Gerardo Orazzo

Fabiana Esca

Laura Arcudi

Mario Soares

Hugo Vieira

Oscar Kurkjian

Márcia Sousa

Tanguy Delhez

Julien Pierret

Loriane Lucas

Ricardo Giglio

Hugues Namur

Miguel Sacramento

André Rosado

William Untereiner

Soraia Rego

Hugo Marques

Lise Fischer

Léo Natta

Célia Fernandes

Nathalie Japiot

Isaac Oliveira

Charlotte Zimmermann

Hugo Martins

Juliette Le Soudier

Clément Morelle

Rachid Bouchareb

Muriel Merlin

Cédric Ettouati

Rémi Bouvier

Jean Bréhat

David Chambille

Alice Pin

Simon Livet

Cyrille Faivre-Pierret

Roger Arpajou

Philippe Lecoeur

Barbara Kreuzer

Témoudjine Janssens

Edouard Sueur

Bruno Dumont

Andrea Paris

Amélie Jourdain

Giovanni Napolitano

Erwan Le Gal

Célia Marolleau

Octave Maria

Etienne Haug

Laurent Wémama

Clémentine Douel

Alexis Kinebanyan

Brent Marchant

When a film seeks to tackle such distinctive comedic forms as parody, satire or slapstick, the creators first need to make sure that what they’re hatching truly works. But, in the case of this latest offering from storied auteur Bruno Dumont, the mark is missed by a wide margin. This alleged take-off on classic space operas like the original “Star Wars” trilogy or “Spaceballs” (1987) simply doesn’t cut it, primarily because it just isn’t funny. Perhaps that’s due to the fact that the filmmaker doesn’t seem to be clear on the direction he wants the story to take or the tone with which it’s presented. In a nutshell, two alien species – the Ones (champions of good) and Zeroes (disciples of evil) – have been exiled to Earth (why and by whom is never made clear), where they’re battling one another to win over the control of humanity through their ground zero strongholds in a small French coastal fishing village. But, in telling this tale, Dumont’s paper-thin narrative meanders aimlessly, blending a bland mixture of lame humor (most of which falls positively flat), bombastic but innately shallow soliloquies on the nature of good and evil, unexplained Monty Python-esque absurdist imagery, and gratuitous sexual encounters that appear to be thrown in for little more than titillating filler. To its credit, the picture effectively employs some truly impressive special effects, an eclectic background score based largely on reworked neo-classical arrangements of the compositions of J.S. Bach and Henry Purcell, and a production design that incorporates set designs drawn from Gothic and Renaissance European architecture. It also features a wealth of stunningly gorgeous cinematography, although a number of overlong shots (particularly many inexplicably filmed from too great a distance) could benefit from judicious pruning. So what exactly is the director going for here? Damned if I know. If it’s satire, its symbology is seriously undercooked. If it’s a campy romp, it’s too understated. If it’s screwball comedy, the pacing is too sluggish. And if it’s insightful social commentary, it’s too superficial and doesn’t take itself seriously enough. In essence, “The Empire” may offer some segments that are nice to look at, but that’s about all, considering that the bulk of this release, in the end, really has nothing interesting, meaningful or piquant to say.

Berlinale Press Conference "The Empire" (L'Empire)

Official Trailer [Subtitled]

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The Empire

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Lyna Khoudri

Anamaria Vartolomei

Camille Cottin

Fabrice Luchini

Brandon Vlieghe

Julien Manier

Bernard Pruvost

Philippe Jore

Annie Tardivon

Marie Vasez

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