Monday, September 5, 2016

Official End of Summer Movie Season: The Light Between Oceans

Facebook reminded me that on this day in 2011 I saw the movie "The Debt." Back then, I wrote about how one knows it's the end of summer based on what kind of movies are released. Here's what I said:
"Summer is always heralded in by big-budget, flashy tent-pole pictures usually involving a superhero or some sort of number in the title signifying it's a sequel of something that was popular two summers ago. Basically anything a teenage boy would like to see.
But then we get to the end, where a lot of the smaller films that aren't quite summer movies (read: there's no superheroes or animation) get unloaded. Films like The Help, One Day, and Crazy, Stupid, Love. Generally they're based on books. It's a very fine line between when those end and the fall movies start, but I think the distinction this year is made by the film The Debt."

Today I had the same experience when I went to see "The Light Between Oceans." It's not a splashy remake or sequel or addition to an ever-growing cinematic universe. There are no tie-ins with fast-food chains, car brands, or insurance companies (seriously, did you see the Progressive Insurance commercials linked to Ghostbusters?!). It's a character-driven film adapted from a novel. 

The movie stars Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander as Tom and Isabel, a couple who are light house caretaker and mistress on a remote island in Australia. He is a veteran of The Great War and enjoys the solitude; she is a force of nature who brings him joy and peace (that may sound cliche, but the way it is portrayed it seems anything but). When they suffer two miscarriages, it seems like a blessing from above when a small boat drifts ashore one day with a dead man and live baby girl in it. 

The movie went in directions I wasn't expecting, so it all unfolded as a pleasant surprise (I have not read the book...yet). It was breathtakingly beautiful, from the costumes to the sets to the scenery to the music (Alexandre Desplat has been nominated for Best Score 7 times in the last ten years). The powerhouse performances from the three main leads brings it all together to create a moving and fantastic story of love and forgiveness. 

Folks, I would see Michael Fassbender in nearly anything since he won me over as Mr. Rochester in a film adaptation of my favorite novel, Jane Eyre. And Rachel Weisz is an actress who is always giving wonderful performances even in mediocre films (or extremely strange ones like The Lobster). 

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