Review – The Light Between Oceans

Derek Cianfrance really knows how to pull at the heartstrings.  His first two films, the relationship horror masterpiece Blue Valentine (2010) and the ambitious family drama The Place Beyond the Pines (2013), are some the most emotionally powerful movies I have ever scene.  His newest film, The Light Between Oceans, is just a powerful.  This is a sprawling, intimate, stirring movie, featuring a trio of spectacular performances.

Taking place after World War I, former solider Tom (Michael Fassbender) takes a job as a lighthouse attendant on a lonely island.  He falls in love and marries Isabel (Alicia Vikander) and the two live together on the abandoned island.  After a number of failed attempts to get pregnant, the two find and save a baby from an adrift rowboat and begin their life as a family.  But when they go back to the mainland, Tom makes a discovery that puts their seemingly perfect life in jeopardy.

Fassbender and Vikander prove why they are two of the best actors working in Hollywood today.  They are simply extraordinary in this film.  Fassbender’s performance is one of a slow burn.  Tom is a quiet man who keeps to himself and wants to be alone after everything he saw while at war.  And even when he meets Isabel and she brings him out of his shell a bit, he still stays restrained.  But, after he discovers truths on the mainland, he is a ticking time bomb. His dilemma is a choice between ethics and love and the decision he makes could alter everything in his life.  When the decision is made, it is a brutal scene where Fassbender’s acting is showcased and given even more depth thanks to his facial expressions and depths in his eyes.

Vikander is incredibly tragic and moving.  Isabel desperately wants to complete the family her and Tom have started, but keeps failing.  When she finally gets it, it isn’t what it seems and that’s when she really loses it.  Vikander doesn’t overdue this scene, a scene that most actresses could have overacted and made campy.  It is a very strong, raw performance and one of the best of Vikander’s young career.

We also get a great performance by Rachel Weisz as a woman who alters the couple’s life with one major reveal.  It is one her best performances in a long time and one I hope gets awards attention down the line.

The Light Between Oceans is grand in scale, but intimate in its focus.  The film spans over a number of years, and yet it never feels that way.  The only way we really see the time pass is by Tom and Isabel’s daughter getting older.  However, it is also the film’s biggest flaw.  The movie runs longer than it needs to.  Running over two hours, the film could have cut out a few scenes and been tightened up a bit.  I was checking my watch repeatedly over the last third of the movie, realizing quickly that time wasn’t going anywhere.

On a technical aspect, this is Cianfrance’s best work yet.  This is a very lavish period piece, with great costumes and set design, which is much different than the blue collar sets from Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines.  Also, this has some of the best cinematography I’ve seen all year.  The movie is truly stunning to look at, with it’s jaw-dropping landscapes and beautiful shots of the lighthouse and ocean.

The Light Between Oceans isn’t the masterpiece that Blue Valentine was, but it is still a very good movie.  It has three great performances from Fassbender, Vikander, and Weisz, amazing cinematography, and tons of emotion.  The movie’s only flaws are that isn’t exactly a pleasure to watch, as the subject is a bit tough, and the movie runs longer than it should.  This is Cianfrance’s most polished film yet and is worth seeing for that alone.

MY RATING – 3/4

Did you see The Light Between Oceans?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @kevflix.  And make sure to LIKE Kevflix on Facebook!