French director Bruno Dumont is known for his unique approach to filmmaking, often blending the grandiose with the drolly mundane in his works. In his latest film, 'The Empire,' Dumont takes audiences on a wild ride as the residents of a small French village find themselves at the center of a bizarre alien invasion.
Set in the same coastal village featured in Dumont's previous works 'Li'l Quinquin' and 'Slack Bay,' 'The Empire' introduces audiences to the 0s (zeroes) alien race who have been infiltrating the village in a somewhat tame and tasteful manner compared to Dumont's previous, more scatological approach. The 0s have a sinister agenda to take over the planet, led by the nefarious Beelzebub.
Fortunately, humanity has a protector in the form of the 1s, an angelic alien race led by Jane and Rudy, who are armed with light sabers and tasked with stopping the 0s from achieving their malevolent goals. The clash between good and evil, sacred and secular, and other opposing forces drives the conflict in the film.
Despite the film's fun elements such as crosswired sexual encounters and talking blobs of CG goop, the actual conflict is simplified into binary oppositions. This reduction to simplistic binaries may disappoint viewers as the resolution feels somewhat glib, failing to fully explore the philosophical underpinnings suggested by the film's themes.
Overall, 'The Empire' offers a mix of humor, mythology, and social commentary, though some viewers may find its approach to existentialism and nihilism to be somewhat lacking in depth. Bruno Dumont's bold and unconventional filmmaking style continues to push boundaries and provoke thought in 'The Empire.'
