 Director: Derek Cianfrance Starring: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz Studio: DreamWorks Pictures Genre(s): Drama Rated: PG-13 (For thematic material and some sexual content) |
In a summer that has contained conflicts of epic scale and
international appeal, it is fascinating that the one of the most engaging
conflicts of the year is saved for the end of the summer. Not only that, but it does not contain super
heroes or aliens, but two humans who live alone on an island, simply looking
for a little happiness and inadvertently ruining someone else’s in the
process. “The Light Between Oceans”
revolves around Tom (Michael Fassbender) and Isabel (Alicia Vikander), a
married couple who live alone on an island, secluded from all society, running
a light house and trying unsuccessfully to have children. Both want to be parents but she has
miscarried twice. Then, one day, a
lifeboat lands on shore that contains a man and a baby. The man is dead but the baby, miraculously,
survives. In what can be considered an
understandable lapse of judgment, they decide to keep the child.
Knowing what an honorable man he is though, we can
understand the guilt he feels when he discovers that the baby’s mother is alive
and well, mourning the loss of her family.
Despite not correcting his mistake, he clearly is disturbed that he has
literally taken away the happiness of someone else. How this all plays out in the end I probably
need not say. Because, if we are being
honest, the story is a little contrived.
Many of the things that happen do so only because someone walks along at
just the right time and says just the right thing to set things in motion. For that matter, Tom makes a choice at one
point in the movie that seems foolish at best, and also feels like the choice
of a movie that doesn’t know how to keep momentum going for the heart of the
movie. Neither of these things bothered
me as much as it normally would.
This is because some movies just get the journey right. They are slightly predictable, yes, but that
is not what is going to bother audiences.
Audiences are (sometimes) bothered by stories that are predictable in
ways that are unfocused and obvious.
They groan when characters act like idiots for no reason. They throw popcorn when characters make
really dumb decisions that they clearly shouldn’t be making. What makes “The Light Between Oceans” work
despite the contrivances is that the movie understands what to do with
them. None of these characters are
idiots, they are conflicted people, with desires that sometimes overrule more
logical choices. Decisions that are made
here are made because of the guilt they feel.
In other words, “The Light Between Oceans” is a movie that has a lot of
heart. It’s the kind of heart that
helped elevate movies like “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Philadelphia” above
their shortcomings.
The movie was directed by Derek Cianfrance, whose previous
film I saw was the deeply intimate “Blue Valentine.” That was a great character drama with an
unconventional way of telling its story.
The conclusion was unexpected to say the least. In comparison, “The Light Between Oceans”
probably seems like a step back for serious film lovers. The story is a bit more predictable and the
ending isn’t entirely unexpected. He is
clearly working on a studio film this time around. What is amazing is how effectively he directs
his actors and makes use of a somewhat standard screenplay. There is a focus here that is lacking in
similar movies of this nature. For me,
he has managed to reach deep down and make something really great out of
material that would normally flounder.
For all the talk about how much studio interference ruined bad movies we
saw this year (and that IS a problem), this is a movie that shows a good
director can still take standard material and do something great with it.
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there are two scenes of sexuality where the nudity is cleverly covered up. Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with this. Recommended for ages 14 and up.
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