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

Hugo Marques

Hugo Vieira

Tanguy Delhez

Ricardo Giglio

Oscar Kurkjian

Soraia Rego

André Rosado

Mario Soares

Márcia Sousa

Lise Fischer

Loriane Lucas

Hugues Namur

Léo Natta

Julien Pierret

William Untereiner

Juliette Le Soudier

Célia Fernandes

Isaac Oliveira

Miguel Sacramento

Charlotte Zimmermann

Nathalie Japiot

Hugo Martins

Clément Morelle

Rachid Bouchareb

Jean Bréhat

Muriel Merlin

David Chambille

Cédric Ettouati

Rémi Bouvier

Philippe Lecoeur

Cyrille Faivre-Pierret

Barbara Kreuzer

Simon Livet

Alice Pin

Roger Arpajou

Témoudjine Janssens

Edouard Sueur

Bruno Dumont

Andrea Paris

Erwan Le Gal

Clémentine Douel

Giovanni Napolitano

Célia Marolleau

Etienne Haug

Amélie Jourdain

Octave Maria

Laurent Wémama

Alexis Kinebanyan

Science Fiction

Comedy

Drama

L'Empire

Tessalit Productions

Red Balloon Film

Ascent Film

Novak Prod

Rosa Filmes

Furyo Films

Belgium

France

Germany

Italy

Portugal

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.

Français

The Empire

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

Official Trailer [Subtitled]