The Light Between Oceans (2016) Review!!

Synopsis – A lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from an adrift rowboat.

My Take – Thanks to the exhausting long list of horrendous Nicholas Spark adaptations gracing the screens for the last couple of years, I had begun to hate the romantic genre in a whole. While watching a romantic film, you expect it to achieve skilled levels of drama and acting, along with an entertaining and relatable or a realistic romantic story to keep the viewer engaged, things which are clearly missing from the cliché filled with Sparks adaptations. Keeping this in mind amidst low expectations, I was surprised by how this Derek Cianfrance directed film spectacularly told a romantic story with well measured tender and enchanting moments. Yes, you better take a box of tissues with you, as the heartbreaking moments here, which pretty much encapsulate the entirety of this film which from the start aims to drive its point home on an emotional level, and is sure to break even the strongest among us. However, the film does also stumble once in a while due to its exceeding run time of 133 minutes, certain executions of character motivation and generic story structure. In comparison to his other films (Blue Valentine & the Place beyond the Pines), despite being truly heartwarming, this is director Derek Cianfrance’s weakest outing yet.

Based on M.L. Stedman‘s best-selling novel, the story follows war veteran Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender), shortly after World War I. Deeply affected by the events of the war, Tom takes up the job of a lighthouse keeper in a small town called Janus, in Western Australia, in order to stay in isolation. However, light shines in his dark life when the young daughter of his boss, Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander) and Tom fall in love. After a short courtship, the two marry and begin their fairy tale romance in solitude. However, Isabel constant miscarriages begin to plague their happiness. Isabel’s hopes and prayers are believed to be answered, when an adrift rowboat shows up; with a deceased man, and a baby girl inside. While Tom grapples with the reality of reporting the incident, or making the woman he loves happy, he ends up choosing the former, kicking into motion some heart wrenching consequences especially when Tom ends up meeting the girl’s distraught birth mother Hannah Roennfeldt (Rachel Weisz) a couple of years later. The plot here is superficially simple and not very original; however, the gradual accumulation of complications and moral dilemmas adds an intellectual and almost philosophical aspect which complements the tormented romance of the lonely man who found love late, only to see it in danger when certain circumstances interfere in his happiness. Amidst the beautiful landscaping shots of sunsets, beaches, and oceanic views, Cianfrance crafts the story of a couple who desperately wants a child but can’t have one, extremely well. As much as this film deals with tragedy, grief, and sorrow there was something so beautiful about the way Cianfrance tells the story. It unfortunately becomes flooded with sadness and difficult circumstances, but I never stopped rooting for these characters. Even when they are at the brink of a bad decision, I wanted the best. It is all about the moral take here. There are arguments for the main couple in here too. You see this from the fact how the child appreciates them still when being grown up. After all, they saved her life and they had no idea there was still a mother out there. Notwithstanding the absurd good fortune that they find a baby after her two miscarriages, the story becomes increasingly complex with intersecting themes of passionate love and doing the right thing. Where this does not become a maudlin, sentimental romance is in a few realistic details. Most of us would question whether we would keep the child, given that we may never have one ourselves, just as this couple does. If you’ve seen director Derek Cianfrance‘s previous films, especially Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond The Pines, you’d know that Cianfrance is not one to shy away from couples’ confrontations, it’s as if he wants his actors to really unleash their strongest resentment possible, so when conflict arises between Vikander‘s character and Fassbender‘s character or between Vikander and Rachel Weisz‘s character, it’s so real and ugly that you wouldn’t want to get in the middle of it otherwise they might come at you as well. Technically, the romantic drama is wholeheartedly intact. Composer Alexandre Desplat continues to deliver score after score, with strings and chords that tug at the heart. Desplat’s choice of swells and subtlety are quite remarkable. They are choices that can once again; land him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score.

Cinematographer Adam Arkapaw glosses the screen with invigorating colors and breathtaking imagery. When the word “class” is associated with any work of art, Arkapaw is the epitome of understanding in that regard. He frames a scene with respect and adoration, fixating on the not so obvious objects and movements of a scene. He allows us to travel graciously through the picture, enriching a methodical and lavish wonder of screen shots. However, with all these great high points provided, there’s a very visible and apparent weakness in the script. Constructed by Cianfrance, he attempts to build a vivacious love story. He gives us two people who he is saying to the audience are “meant for each other.” Cianfrance ends up failing in establishing a believable and unique take on these two individuals from different walks of life. Tom, a veteran and tortured man of war is drawn to the passion and energy of the young Isabel. On paper, that can be sufficient but you must give the viewer motivation, action steps, and beats that prove the point you’re trying to make. There’s an elephant sized hole in the house that our director and writer tries to build. The writer/director truly fumbles in the final third of the film. He chases ideas that are leisurely shoehorned in the story. Cianfrance chases suspense, nostalgia, heartbreak, and resolution. All of these things seem like they’re thrown together in a ten-minute scene reel. The filmmaker also manages to go down ‘J. Edgar’ territory of bad makeup, aging characters that end up just becoming beautiful distractions of their former selves. Nevertheless, the terrific performance from the accomplished cast manages to place a shadow on the negatives. Michael Fassbender anchors the film as the stoic husband who will sacrifice lovingly for his somewhat loopy wife. He underplays Tom’s devotion and it works solidly against Vikander‘s much showier role as his emotional spouse. Fassbender brings so much power and gravitas to his roles, but I’ve never seen him so vulnerable. We saw a peek at the emotional weight he can bring to his characters in X-Men: Apocalypse a few months ago, but nothing can prepare you for his heartbreaking turn in this film. While his character’s emotions are repressed and introverted, hers are all on the surface. Recently, just crowned for her riveting turn in Tom Hooper‘s “The Danish Girl” earlier this year, Alicia Vikander is as capable as ever in portraying a difficult and unlikable character. She expertly handles the turmoil and places Isabel’s tragic side on full display. (Particularly effective is a gut-wrenching scene involving Isabel’s second miscarriage and the dissonant chords of a piano). Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz as the devastating Hannah, a grief-stricken mother has an arc that goes into interesting territories. She brings the ethic question of motherhood front and center and provides the necessary counterpoint to the moral issue at play. On the whole, ‘The Light Between Oceans’ is an incredibly intriguing, compelling, well acted artistic film that despite some underwhelming tendencies is immensely watchable.