The Light Between Oceans Review
RYAN: This is a romantic drama, based on a best-selling novel, which is a real tearjerker. I love the stars – Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender. They fell in love, in real life, on the set of this film and are currently an item. So you know their chemistry is real. I love this movie because it’s just stunningly gorgeous. The cinematography is beautiful.
ERIK: I agree, it is shot in a very impressive way. Especially with light, its use is shown coming through flowers and other objects in a very nice way.
RYAN: I’d own a coffee table book, filled with the imagery from this film – the water, the lighthouse. It’s all breathtaking. I also liked the stillness to this. It really breathes and takes its time.
BECKY: It does take time – it felt like 20 years of my life. This movie is so slow. When I knew what it was about, I was a bit guarded going in, but I went in as a fertile woman and came out past my prime.
ERIK: (laughs) It was extremely slow for me too. I didn’t connect with the story, though, at all.
RYAN: I like the time this movie takes. I would have stayed longer to get even more. It’s a moody film that is emotive and dramatic. It’s very internal – you physically feel what the characters are thinking.
BECKY: I did cry, but even through the tears, I found it melodramatic.
ERIK: I agree. It felt that way to me as well.
RYAN: I also like the theme in this about love and loss and how painful love can be. That felt very real. Those emotions are very prominent.
BECKY: It all perked up for me, though, with the arrival of Rachel Weisz.
RYAN: God I love her. She is such a versatile actress. And the delicate nature she brings to this role is insane. She is so talented.
ERIK: I like a good drama when it strikes a chord with something we can all relate to and this one didn’t affect me.
RYAN: I found this acutely dramatic. While I can’t identify with it, I was thriving on the drama between these characters. It’s an unconventional triangle of values and loyalty. The stakes are so high for these characters, that I did feel involved, even though I wouldn’t personally identify with their experiences.
BECKY: I just found some of the realtime movement in the film to be tedious.
RYAN: I was so drawn in by Alexandre Desplat’s score. It was so haunting and enchanting. This, so far, is my fave score of the year.
ERIK: I took note of the score as well. I liked it. And
RYAN: The ark is very complete – this story fully crosses the finish line. It is a heartbreaking tale with outstanding performances. Alicia has become one of my favorite actors. Everything she touches turns to gold. I can never stop watching her.
BECKY: She is good. I feel like Michael Fassbender has a range that almost paralells that of the enigmatic and subtle performances of Zac Efron.
RYAN: (laughs) As if.
ERIK: I like the cast a lot too but would rather see them in something else. Alicia is a very powerful actress. I would have seen this easier as two separate movies – the story of Alicia and Michael and the story of Rachel’s backstory.
RYAN: That is interesting but I liked the dramatic height it reached by intertwining them. It is a slow, but incredible story. Seeing Michael Fassbender twist with a moral dilemma is just amazing. I didn’t cry but I felt it and almost everyone did cry. I felt the chemistry and really enjoyed it.
