The Light Between Oceans film review ★★★★★

It’s easy to see why Derek Cianfrance was attracted to M.L. Stedman’s novel, which features a narrative left turn not unlike what the director himself pulled off in The Place Beyond the Pines. What apparently starts as one story – the romance between a lonely lighthouse keeper and the woman who, by becoming his wife, makes his secluded life less dour – transforms into a very different beast, one with great dramatic potential.

It’s a shame, therefore, to see a brave and unconventional filmmaker slip into complacency as he tackles his most mainstream project to date, complete with period setting (post-World War I Australia) and a handsome leading couple. Also at hand, an Alexandre Desplat score that is far too intrusive, constantly trying to tell the viewer how to respond to the various twists and turns on an emotional level.

Then again, such manipulation becomes a necessity when, in addition to dodgy writing, the film is stuck with highly uneven work from its three main actors. Rachel Weisz does grief and anguish very well, but a lack of strong material to work with is fairly evident in most of her scenes. Similarly, Alicia Vikander is more convincing in the subdued first half of the film, before she’s required to get louder and less sympathetic.

And then there’s Michael Fassbender, easily the best of the trio, half-baked Aussie accent aside (a trait he shares with his two co-stars). Playing a role he could most likely perform in his sleep, he brings his customary intensity to proceedings and remains eminently watchable from start to finish, even as the contrivances start piling up.

Ultimately, The Light Between Oceans is a sublimely mounted yet startlingly hollow period piece, a rare misstep for a director who thrives on thinking outside the box. Fans of Fassbender and, to some degree, Vikander might get their money’s worth, as long as they don’t consider this film a suitable candidate for date night.