Review of The Light Between Oceans (2016) by Seraphic W — 26 Dec 2016

The Light Between Oceans.

Posted on December 7, 2016 by MyDistractedUniverse.

The Light Between Oceans is a beautifully shot film set in a stunning landscape. It tells the heartbreaking story of lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne and his wife Isabel, portrayed by real life couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.

The Story.

They live on their own on a small island called Janus Rock, where Tom keeps the lighthouse going in every weather.

He took the position after returning from the war, hoping that the isolation of this deserted abode will be the perfect place to escape his demons. He meets and subsequently falls in love with Isabel, a local girl from the main land. After they get married they live together in the little cottage next to the lighthouse. Life would be perfect if it weren't for two miscarriages that Isabel suffered over the next few years. Shortly after the second pregnancy ended prematurely, they find a small boat washed up on the shores of the island. Inside they find the body of a young man and a crying baby girl.

Isabel sees the baby's arrival as a sign and as her only chance of ever being a mother. She convinces a reluctant Tom to keep the girl and raise her as their own. Tom is not convinced but he does see the life coming back into Isabel, the woman he loves more than anything. He eventually agrees and buries the man in the dunes. They name the little girl Lucy.

Tom, Isabel and Lucy are a happy family over the next few years. Life is good and they manage to all but put their secret out of their minds. Until they meet the Lucy's real mother. Tom's conscience and his old doubts return. Was it right of them to withhold the child from her birth mother?

A moral dilemma.

The movie deals with the moral dilemma that rises from this situation. Tough decisions will have to be made by everyone before long to ensure that Lucy's best interests are met. Both Tom and Isabel are portrayed as good people who genuinely love each other and the child they have come to regard as their own. That makes it difficult to outright condemn them for their actions. Seeing the devastation they face at the prospect of losing Lucy, one can't help but feel for them.

Only in the second half of the movie do we really get to meet the the real mother and with this the other side of the coin. The producers could not have found a better actress than the ever so beautiful Rachel Weisz for the role of Hannah Roennfeldt. Her portrayal of the sorrow and heartbreak after losing both her husband and daughter haunts the viewer.

In fact all three actors gave outstanding performances. I have never seen so much emotional turmoil in a movie. They must have felt drained after every day of shooting. The pain they portrayed was so real that I ended up feeling sorry for all of them. There was never going to be a winner, no matter what outcome.

Even the landscape and the weather were used to convey the mood of the scenes. Shots of rough seas and stormy nights are sparring with calm waters batched in warm sun light.

Final Thoughts.

There have not been a lot of great movies with a lot of substance in recent years. We all have grown used to mindless action with lots of CGI and special effects for entertainment. Throw in a bit of humour and you are halfway sure to have a success. The bigger the budget the bigger the movie. The Light Between Oceans did not have a big budget or a lot of action scenes. There is certainly nothing funny about the subject. Instead it tells a beautiful story about people. It talks of feelings and struggle. And about doing the right thing, even if it breaks you heart and endangers yours and other people's lives. It tell the story of happiness and heartbreak, of loss and redemption.

The Light Between Oceans makes you stop and reflect on what is important in life. It is ultimately telling one truth: the love of a mother never dies. No matter how you became to be a mother.