Director: Bruno Dumont
Bruno Dumont takes his camera back to the windswept coast of Northern France, but this time the villagers he loves to observe are sharing their fishing town with extraterrestrial royalty.
What is The Empire about?
A newborn baby in a sleepy coastal village turns out to be the vessel for a cosmic struggle between the forces of light, the Ones, and the forces of darkness, the Zeroes. Both sides have sent disguised operatives among the fishermen and shopkeepers, and an ordinary infant becomes the prize in a war that stretches across galaxies but plays out in muddy streets and modest kitchens. Jony and Line, two locals caught up in the intrigue, find their small lives suddenly tangled with warring knights, hovering starships, and a conflict that treats their entire region as a battlefield. The film keeps its tone deadpan even as the stakes turn cosmic, letting the absurdity of alien royalty bickering in a fishing village carry its own strange comedy.
Cast & crew
Lyna Khoudri and Anamaria Vartolomei anchor the film as the two warring queens, while Camille Cottin and Fabrice Luchini bring a wry, grounded energy to the human side of the story. Newcomers Brandon Vlieghe and Julien Manier play the villagers whose ordinary lives collide with the extraterrestrial plot, under Bruno Dumont's direction.
Context & significance
A co-production spanning Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal, the film blends science fiction with the deadpan rural comedy Dumont has built his career on, mixing grand cosmic mythology with the mundane rhythms of a fishing community. It carries a 5.2 rating on IMDb and runs close to two hours, giving its odd tonal mix room to breathe.
Where & how to watch
K-Time offers the film with Persian dubbing and subtitles, so Farsi-speaking audiences can follow its blend of village comedy and cosmic mythology without a language barrier. A free K-Time account login is needed to watch; the page describing the film can be browsed without signing in.