The Light Between Oceans

Name: The Light Between Oceans
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: September 2, 2016
Duration: 133 min
Rating: 60
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Florence Clery, Michael Fassbender, Rachel Weisz

2016

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 44 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 107 Ratings

See All

6.9

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.9	Your Score
6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 107 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

The Light Between Oceans

Now Playing: The Light Between Oceans

Movie Details & Credits

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: September 2, 2016 | PG-13

Starring: Alicia Vikander, Florence Clery, Michael Fassbender, Rachel Weisz

Summary: On a remote Australian island in the years following World War I, lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) and his wife, Isabel (Alicia Vikander), discover a boat washed ashore carrying a dead man and a two-month old baby. Rescuing the infant, they make the decision to raise her as their own but the consequences of their choiceOn a remote Australian island in the years following World War I, lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) and his wife, Isabel (Alicia Vikander), discover a boat washed ashore carrying a dead man and a two-month old baby. Rescuing the infant, they make the decision to raise her as their own but the consequences of their choice prove to be devastating. … Expand

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Genre(s): Drama, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 133 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Rex Reed

Aug 31, 2016

A mesmerizing, engrossing and beautifully made cinematic experience, rare as a pink unicorn, that enchants for more than two hours and makes you wish for at least one hour more. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Sep 2, 2016

It’s a well-made, serious drama arriving in an era when those qualities rarely describe multiplex fare. Read full review

Justin Chang

Sep 1, 2016

The actors hurl themselves into their roles with sufficient commitment and feeling that you believe in Tom and Isabel completely, even when the creaky narrative machinery around them begins to trigger your skepticism. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Aug 31, 2016

It’s a romance novel, a romantic fable, brought to life by a pretty good cast that cannot make it more than is, that cannot give it more meaning and make it less frustrating than novelist M.L. Stedman intended. Read full review

Barbara VanDenburgh

Sep 1, 2016

For all of Cianfrance’s seriousness, the material proves too essentially melodramatic, hokey and self-serious to save. No gorgeous cinematography and no cast, no matter how A-list, can ultimately save this material from itself. Read full review

The Playlist Rodrigo Perez

Aug 30, 2016

A lovely, but uneven moral tale of love, forgiveness and heartrending misdeeds, Derek Cianfrance’s The Light Between Oceans is conceptually sound, and at times, beautifully gut-wrenching. But the plaintive picture often becomes engrossed in conveying at all times just how precious life and love is. Read full review

John Bleasdale

Sep 1, 2016

Adapted by Cianfrance himself, The Light Between Oceans feels overly tied to its previous form. Read full review

SEE ALL 44 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

MyDistUniverse

Dec 26, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Light Between Oceans is a beautifully shot film set in a stunning landscape. It tells the heartbreaking story of lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne and his wife Isabel, portrayed by real life couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.
They live on their own on a small island called Janus Rock, where Tom keeps the lighthouse going in every weather.
He took the position after returning from the war, hoping that the isolation of this deserted abode will be the perfect place to escape his demons. He meets and subsequently falls in love with Isabel, a local girl from the main land. After they get married they live together in the little cottage next to the lighthouse. Life would be perfect if it weren’t for two miscarriages that Isabel suffered over the next few years. Shortly after the second pregnancy ended prematurely, they find a small boat washed up on the shores of the island. Inside they find the body of a young man and a crying baby girl.
Isabel sees the baby's arrival as a sign and as her only chance of ever being a mother. She convinces a reluctant Tom to keep the girl and raise her as their own. Tom is not convinced but he does see the life coming back into Isabel, the woman he loves more than anything. He eventually agrees and buries the man in the dunes. They name the little girl Lucy.
Tom, Isabel and Lucy are a happy family over the next few years. Life is good and they manage to all but put their secret out of their minds. Until they meet the Lucy’s real mother. Tom’s conscience and his old doubts return. Was it right of them to withhold the child from her birth mother?

The movie deals with the moral dilemma that rises from this situation. Tough decisions will have to be made by everyone before long to ensure that Lucy’s best interests are met. Both Tom and Isabel are portrayed as good people who genuinely love each other and the child they have come to regard as their own. That makes it difficult to outright condemn them for their actions. Seeing the devastation they face at the prospect of losing Lucy, one can’t help but feel for them.
Only in the second half of the movie do we really get to meet the the real mother and with this the other side of the coin. The producers could not have found a better actress than the ever so beautiful Rachel Weisz for the role of Hannah Roennfeldt. Her portrayal of the sorrow and heartbreak after losing both her husband and daughter haunts the viewer.
In fact all three actors gave outstanding performances. I have never seen so much emotional turmoil in a movie. They must have felt drained after every day of shooting. The pain they portrayed was so real that I ended up feeling sorry for all of them. There was never going to be a winner, no matter what outcome.
Even the landscape and the weather were used to convey the mood of the scenes. Shots of rough seas and stormy nights are sparring with calm waters batched in warm sun light.

There have not been a lot of great movies with a lot of substance in recent years. We all have grown used to mindless action with lots of CGI and special effects for entertainment. Throw in a bit of humour and you are halfway sure to have a success. The bigger the budget the bigger the movie. The Light Between Oceans did not have a big budget or a lot of action scenes. There is certainly nothing funny about the subject. Instead it tells a beautiful story about people. It talks of feelings and struggle. And about doing the right thing, even if it breaks you heart and endangers yours and other people’s lives. It tell the story of happiness and heartbreak, of loss and redemption.
The Light Between Oceans makes you stop and reflect on what is important in life. It is ultimately telling one truth: the love of a mother never dies. No matter how you became to be a mother.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Alexander9

Jan 3, 2017

One of the most beautiful and tragic film I've ever seen. The starring skills of Alicia Vikander are perfectly appropriate. I wanted to watch this film after I've seen "The Danish Girl", where Alicia was just a brilliant actress.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

preciouskiki

Sep 4, 2016

At first, I wasn't that interested in seeing "The Light Between Oceans" because the previews led me to believe it would be a tearjerker. However, a friend wanted to see it, so I said OK, and I am glad that I did. I didn't find it to be a tearjerker at all. Rather, it is a finely wroughtAt first, I wasn't that interested in seeing "The Light Between Oceans" because the previews led me to believe it would be a tearjerker. However, a friend wanted to see it, so I said OK, and I am glad that I did. I didn't find it to be a tearjerker at all. Rather, it is a finely wrought story and deals with issues of conscience, war, forgiveness, loneliness, love, and yes, loss, but it's the kind of loss that we all experience to one degree or another. This movie has beautiful cinematography, with awe-inspiring views of post WWI Australia and its rocky coast. The two leads, Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, are stunningly good, as is the entire supporting cast, particularly Rachel Weisz and Bryan Brown.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

badgerryan19

May 19, 2017

With extremely strong performances by Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikkander the movie is able to overcome some of its shortcomings with the plot being a little too predictable and mainstreamed. The movie is extremely emotional and sad at moments. But I feel the movie does it almost tooWith extremely strong performances by Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikkander the movie is able to overcome some of its shortcomings with the plot being a little too predictable and mainstreamed. The movie is extremely emotional and sad at moments. But I feel the movie does it almost too much to become truly effective. With great performances the movie ultimately overcomes its shortcomings and is a good watch for anyone.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

spencie

Mar 23, 2018

The Light Between Oceans, what a fantastic movie, I give it 7 stars because I hated the ending with all my heart. I found myself hating Rachael Weisz's character and wanted her to die. The first act is perfect, it's romantic, it's sweet, it's beautiful. It begins to go down hill when Weisz'sThe Light Between Oceans, what a fantastic movie, I give it 7 stars because I hated the ending with all my heart. I found myself hating Rachael Weisz's character and wanted her to die. The first act is perfect, it's romantic, it's sweet, it's beautiful. It begins to go down hill when Weisz's character shows up. It's gets a bit melodramatic and soapy at times, but overall I think this movie works. I cried during this film. Alicia Vikander is outstanding, the cinematography is incredible, Michael Fassbender gives his best perforance, no joke. I really like this movie it had me on my knees begging for a happy ending.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

GreatMartin

Sep 2, 2016

The lead actors, Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are beautiful, not only physically but in their acting ability. The photography of the scenery by Adam Arkapaw, whether it be the New Zealand country or Tasmania or the ocean waves breaking on shore or the skies above them, areThe lead actors, Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are beautiful, not only physically but in their acting ability. The photography of the scenery by Adam Arkapaw, whether it be the New Zealand country or Tasmania or the ocean waves breaking on shore or the skies above them, are beautiful and in some scenes breathtaking. The music by Alexandre Desplat, never disturbs what is taking place on the screen and only underscores it. The direction by Derek Cianfance, who also wrote the screenplay based on a book by M. L. Stedman's, on the surface says what a tearjerker it is, not to forget so many scenes of actors crying, but he never gets to what should be a major payoff of "The Light Between Oceans".

In many ways this film reminded me of old melodramas starring Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins or Mary Astor. There is the pregnant woman having two miscarriages, a baby showing up in a rowboat with her dead father at an isolated lighthouse island, the couple decide to keep her, the real mother showing up 5 years later and tears, plenty of tears. Where the directors back then were accused of manipulating the audience and getting them to cry experiencing, in some cases, a catharsis, director/screenwriter Cianfance here only skims the surface of what is happening.

As beautiful as the scenes of the country, water, sun, moon, lighthouse island, the town across the way are, there are too many of each making the movie last 132 minutes resulting in a rushed ending cutting off the emotions of the audience. There are too many voice-overs, too many letters spoken, distracting from the feelings of the actors.

There is much to like about "The Light Between Oceans"--see the first paragraph--but a lot more could have been achieved with a little more effort.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

qamaster

Dec 12, 2016

tearjerker story, but extremely stupid - from the very beginning to the very end. Why they couldn't think that the lost child could has a mother and she may looking for her child? Why could not two mothers agree on the gradual transfer of the child's to real mother, or at least to raise atearjerker story, but extremely stupid - from the very beginning to the very end. Why they couldn't think that the lost child could has a mother and she may looking for her child? Why could not two mothers agree on the gradual transfer of the child's to real mother, or at least to raise a child together? All the problems in this story are far-fetched stories or characters are complete idiots.… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

SEE ALL 22 REVIEWS