The Light Between Oceans (2017) [Movie Review]

Dir: Derek Cianfrance
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander
Dur: 2 hrs 12 mins
Genre: Romantic - Drama
PG: Few kisses and a couple of intimate scenes
Rating: 6.5/10

It is said that people seek happiness and it is quite true. Nearly every action of ours is aimed at achieving happiness, it may not seem like it now but down the line we believe happiness is there waiting for us with open arms, ready to comfort us for all the sacrifices we’ve made and difficulties overcome. But what about happiness that comes at the cost of someone else’s happiness. Is it justified? Is it outrageous?

Meet Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) a war veteran who is tormented by such thoughts after rescuing and ‘illegally’ detaining a baby lost at sea. Tom and his wife, Isabel (Alicia Vikander) have lost 2 kids in three years and find their marriage straining with each loss. Just when it seemed like despair had clouded the sky, the shrill cries of a washed up infant cut their melancholic reveries and bring out the sun once again. Isabel urges Tom to quietly adopt the child and he reluctantly agrees, army discipline has not left him completely and neither has his scrupulous conscience quietened since returning from the war.

Four happy years pass and just when all seems well, Tom finds his conscience stirred up once again as he sees a woman wailing before the tombstone of her missing husband and child. The math isn’t that hard to do and here exactly the story gets its much awaited twist. We suddenly find ourselves debating with Tom the righteousness of his actions. The film suddenly moves from a romance to an ethical drama. The sequence of events here on out are simply brilliant. Little wonder that they come from a novel. The film is well shot and directed. The actors deliver stellar performances and the ending is quite something.

The trailer provides precious little but sufficient to catch your attention. The film is really worth the while. There are a number of issues it throws up and forces you to reflect over. The poignancy of the whole plot is also quite heart-rending. Looking for a heart-tugging experience, look no further.     


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