The Light Between Oceans

Returning from the battlefields of WWI, embittered Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) takes a job manning a lighthouse on the isolated windswept island of Janus, off Australia's western coast. Tom wants to escape the carnage of civilization, but after meeting Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander), who lives in the nearest coastal village, a romance via mail ensues. The pair marry and Isabel subsequently suffers two devastating miscarriages. But then a dinghy containing a baby girl and a dead man washes up on their beach. Dutiful Tom's first instinct is to report the incident and hope that he and Isabel can adopt the infant. But desperate Isabel persuades him to keep his silence, convincing him that no agency would allow them to adopt a child to live on a remote island with no school, no medical care, and no church. Isabel's plan is to raise the child as their own. Complications arise at the child's christening on the mainland, where stoic Tom spies Hannah (Rachel Weisz) mourning at the grave of her husband and baby who disappeared at sea. Riddled with guilt, Tom slips an anonymous note to Hannah, assuring her that her daughter is alive and well—which ultimately prompts a police investigation and more. Adapted from M.L. Stedman's 2012 novel, director Derek Cianfrance's The Light Between Oceans is an old-fashioned historical melodrama that feels contrived and emotionally manipulative, although its inherent ethical dilemma generates true empathy for the characters. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Derek Cianfrance and film studies professor Phil Solomon, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Bringing The Light to Life” (17 min.) and “Lighthouse Keeper” (6 min.), and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing adaptation.] (S. Granger)