All-Star cast travels stormy seas in "the LIght Between oceans"
The Light Between Oceans takes us to isolated Janus Island in Australia. A beautiful but solitary island where Michael Fassbender's WWI Veteran "Tom" has gone to seek refuge from the ravages of war and it's after effects. Just before he takes his post, he meets Alicia Vikander's" Isabel," the daughter of his supervisor. It's love a first sight for the two, although they begin their romance slowly, with an constant exchange of letters before walking down the aisle.
Life on the island where the light house is located is isolated, and yet idyllic for the young couple. They're soon expecting a baby, but sadly, the child is lost. They try again, only to meet the same tragedy. In the midst of their despair, a row boat heads toward the shore and inside is a perfectly healthy baby girl next to the body of her dead father. Isabel is clearly determined to keep the girl, although Tom isn't convinced it's the right thing to do. Love triumphs over reason and rules and soon the baby has carved a place in their hearts and their lives. On a trip to the mainland to visit family and have the baby christened, Tom notices "Hannah," played by Rachel Weisz, paying a mournful visit to a headstone in the church semetary. He soon learns that Hannah lost her husband and child in a mysterious boating accident about the time the baby, now named Lucy, arrived on Janus. What happens next is a struggle between right and wrong, between love and loss. |
The Light Between Two Oceans is based on the best selling novel by the same name. It's a welcome respite from a summer full of sequels and science fiction. Oscar winner Alicia Vikander could be the Meryl Streep of her generation as she approaches each role with a fearlessness that shows she's ready for anything. Besides her Best Actress winning performance in The Danish Girl in 2015, she was in two other films that demonstrate her ability to carry a film. If you've got time check out Ex-Machina and Testament of Youth. The performance by Oscar winner Rachel Weisz and Michael Fassbender are just as compelling. The fact that Vikander and Fassbender became a couple while working on the movie adds a little but of sizzle to the marketing efforts by the movie company. Regardless of who loves whom off screen, The Light Between Oceans is a definite must-see for 2016. It's received an 80 out of 100 from the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
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