The Light Between Oceans
“The Light Between Oceans” is a heart-breaking drama about fate, love,
moral dilemmas, and the lengths to which one couple will go to see their dreams
realized. Starring Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Michael Fassbender,
Oscar winner Alicia Vikander, Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Rachel
Weisz, Bryan Brown and Jack Thompson, the film is written for the screen and
directed by Derek Cianfrance based on the acclaimed novel by M.L.
Stedman. The producers are Academy Award nominee David Heyman, p.g.a.
and Jeffrey Clifford, p.g.a. with Tom Karnowski, Rosie Alison, Jeff Skoll, and
Jonathan King serving as executive producers.
In the years following World War I, Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender), a
young veteran still numb from his years in combat, takes a job as the lighthouse
keeper on Janus Rock, a remote island off the coast of Western Australia. As the
island's sole inhabitant, he finds comfort in the monotony of the chores and
the solitude of his surroundings. When he meets the daughter of the
school's headmaster, Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander), in the local town of
Partageuse on the mainland, Tom is immediately captivated by her beauty, wit,
and passion, and they are soon married and living on the island.
As their love flourishes, he begins to feel again, their happiness marred
only by their inability to start a family, so when a rowboat with a dead man and
infant girl mysteriously washes ashore, Isabel believes their prayers may have
finally been answered. As a man of principle, Tom is torn between reporting the
lost child and pleasing the woman he loves, and against his better judgment, he
agrees to let Isabel raise the child as their own, making a choice with
devastating consequences.
Critic Reviews:
- " The Light Between Oceans is a rare beast: an expensive adult drama
produced by a major studio that won't light the box office on fire. " –
Jorge Ignacio Castillo
- " …classically romantic. It feels like seeing a painting come to life,
where the beautiful images and characters are somehow imbued with spirit.
" – Joel Mayward
- " A story like The Light Between Oceans, used age-appropriately, of
course, could provide parents and teachers with a powerful opportunity to talk
about how making good decisions isn't always easy… " – Hosea
Rupprecht