The Light Between Oceans: The Beauty of Melancholy

Well-acted (Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander) and elegantly shot, The Light Between Oceans will tug at your heartstrings from beginning until end. 

---

​Director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines) continues to craft his films with skill and beaut. The romantic period drama is written and directed by Cianfrance and is also based on the 2012 novel by M. L. Stedman. While, his most recent film does have its flaws, nevertheless, Fassbender and Vikander will capture your heart. Still, this is by far his most beautifully and profound film he has shot to-date. This melodrama layers stories within stories on the coast of Australia during the early 1920’s.

The story unveils to us a lighthouse keeper (a fantastic and grim Fassbender) and his wife (the beautiful and powerful Vikander) struggling to start a family. After two miscarriages, it seems hope is lost for the Sherbourne’s until one day when Tom (Fassbender) and Isabel (Vikander) spot a rowboat adrift and discover a helpless baby trapped inside. The father inside the rowboat is dead, but Isabel sees this opportunity as their silver lining to raise the child as their very own. Tom is hesitant and wants to report it, but Isabel convinces him if he does then they won’t be able to ever adopt the child. Emotions running high, Tom agrees and they name their baby Lucy.

Seasons pass and change, as Lucy grows older. The layering of stories beings when Tom realized that Lucy’s birth mother (a terrific Rachel Weisz) is still alive and searching for her. Tensions and heartbreaks begin to fall apart, as do all Cianfrance films. The beauty we see layered within this film is through the chemistry of the actors and their very own emotions that spark ours. The Light Between Oceans is one of the most visually dazzling films I’ve seen this year alone. The cinematography illustrates the vast allure of the ocean and coastline. Kudos to Cinematographer Adam Arkapaw (Macbeth and True Detective) for capturing the breathtaking scenery of the Western Australia coastline throughout the film.

​So will Tom and Isabel keep their secret hidden or will Hannah (Weisz) find out her child is still alive? There’s a whirlwind of emotions pouring through your blood as Isabel and Tom grapple with decisions. The scene that truly broken my heart was when Isabel broke down crying on the bed and yelling at Tom that Lucy is her daughter. Vikander nails the raw human emotion of this very scene and steals the show throughout. Flawed, thought provoking and elegantly crafted, The Light Between Oceans is a box of tissues waiting to be opened. 

The Light Between Oceans is rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned). For thematic material and some sexual content.