Cecil says: Best
film of 2016. A gripping story from the opening scene through to the final
sunset. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster if you go to see The Light between
Oceans: there is a beautiful romance to kick the film off, with wonderful
connections between a hardened World War One veteran (superbly played by
Michael Fassbender) and an apparently delicate young thing from a small Western
Australian town (Alicia Vikander, who played in The Danish Girl, is wonderful here too); then Dostoevsky themes of Crime and Punishment, with dilemmas
thrown in to compare with Sophie’s Choice.
There are so many levels to this film and I guess depending
on your own life story it will resonate with key moments of your own journey.
Dilemmas over what to do when a loved one wants one thing
and you know it is morally wrong; what to do when you are offered a way out but
that would condemn your loved one to prison or even death; how to resolve that
prick of conscience that can torment you after the act; how to forgive and not to
resent.
The setting of the lighthouse on a small island off the west
coast of Australia is utterly beautiful, too, though you can’t help feeling the
small town attitudes cross that stretch of sea with their hatred of Germans
after the war, their joy at the ‘new baby’, and the pure visibility of every
family misfortune and drama that happens in or near the town.
The soundtrack is beautiful – a combination of music
composed for the film and old mediaeval work by Tavener. The costumes are
wonderful. Even the veggie patch looked a dream, though I had to wonder how
they got the vegetables to grow so well in what must have been such salty air…
An all-star cast, with Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown and
Jack Thompson putting in just as polished a performance as the two main
characters.
And you know what, I’d see it
all again quite happily, just to see what other aspects of my life it may make
me think about on a second viewing.
*****
Bea says: I was in
two minds about seeing this film as I knew enough about the storyline to expect
it to be sad, and enough to know that the subject matter might be painful for
me. I had not read the book for the same
reason. However, the story – as all good
stories are – is actually about larger, more universal truths, like
forgiveness, one’s own moral compass, and the importance of relationships, and
these truths transcend the immediate storyline.
Still, I did connect with Isabel’s early experience, and left the film
thinking – as much as I shared her experience, I do not think I would have done
that. I didn’t think this judgmentally,
just in a way that found my own moral compass point, and that was reassuring. I liked the film’s focus on embracing forgiveness,
renouncing resentment, doing what’s right, and remaining connected to people
close to you. These are things that
matter in life, and that you can hold on to in the face of loss or grief.
But this is all about the (very strong) storyline – the performances
were superb, particularly the wonderful Michael Fassbender as Tom. I appreciated the direction; it’s rare these
days for a film like this not to be overlong and drawn out. The pace was very good, it lingered long
enough to set the scene but not too long.
The settings were incredibly beautiful (Dunedin and North West Tasmania
apparently – I can see some trips to those locations in the future!). It was great to see those old stalwarts Jack
Thompson and Bryan Brown in films again.
And as a knitter, the knitwear was great eye candy.
It was actually great escapism as well. In a week full of the world’s problems, it
was great to travel 100 years back in time and be absorbed in the fictional
problems of fictional people. As I said
to Cecil on the way home, right now the thought of living on an isolated island
lighthouse for 3 years seems rather appealing….
*****
