The Light Between Oceans (2016)

[Wiendish Fitch]

Here we'll discuss The Light Between Oceans, which is based on the Oprah Book Club novel of the same name which features all the awesome actors you can shake a stick at: Michael Fassbender (yum), Alicia Vikander (heck yeah), and Rachel Weisz (oh, HELL YEAH! Plus, I love what a busy year she's having).

Anyone read the book? I have, and it's quite good, but emotionally draining (at least to me, sap that I am). The movie's been getting fairly mixed reviews (too tasteful, too pretty, etc). 

[Spartan Girl]

I did read the book. It was emotionally draining.

I did a post about this in Worst Movie Love Interests. I know I should have been more sympathetic to Isabel, but at the end of the day, she was inflicting the same pain of losing a child on another woman, and had no qualms about it (until the end). Plus what she does to Tom is awful. I wanted to smack her for taking so long to tell the truth.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Spartan Girl

[Wiendish Fitch]

I really, really, really wished Isabel had shown some shred of empathy towards Hannah. Hannah is easily the most sympathetic character in the book (next to Lucy), because all this devastating loss just crushes her, and none of it is her fault. One could argue she should have let Lucy stay with Isabel and Tom, but I can at least chalk that up to her not thinking clearly at the time (the parts in the book dealing with Lucy and Hannah are almost impossible to read, they're so gut-wrenchingly sad). Remember, Lucy was given back only after legal intervention. But even then, what the hell was Hannah supposed to do? This woman experienced so many tragedies; at least Isabel still had Tom. Hannah didn't really have anyone, because no one could understand what she was going through. 

In the end, there were no easy answers, not really, but I think Isabel should have taken a moment to consider Hannah's feelings (and certainly Tom's, as you said, Spartan Girl).

Edited September 2, 2016 by Wiendish Fitch

[SeanC]

I haven't read the book (though I gave it to one of my aunts as a gift, and she liked it a lot).  The movie's pretty solid, overall, I thought -- I know Cianfrance mentioned David Lean as one of the inspirations for his approach to the material, and that makes sense from the film.

I will say, while I expect the Tom character is meant to be younger than Michael Fassbender is in the scenes set from 1918 to the mid 1920s, the lack of effort to make him look older in the 1950 epilogue is distracting.  I wouldn't be surprised if Fassbender ages well, but not that well.

[Spartan Girl]

2 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

This woman experienced so many tragedies; at least Isabel still had Tom. 

And yet Isabel was willing to throw Tom under the bus for Lucy. Jesus, her lie almost sent Tom to DEATH ROW. And why? Because he "betrayed" her by doing the very thing he kept begging her to do all along? 

Why Tom was so forgiving over that, I will never understand. I know love is blind, but that's just...I have no words.

[Wiendish Fitch]

28 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

And yet Isabel was willing to throw Tom under the bus for Lucy. Jesus, her lie almost sent Tom to DEATH ROW. And why? Because he "betrayed" her by doing the very thing he kept begging her to do all along? 

Why Tom was so forgiving over that, I will never understand. I know love is blind, but that's just...I have no words.

Yeah, I don't know why I forgot that part. As possibly unbalanced Hannah was, at least she wasn't actively trying to wreak vengeance by destroying an innocent person's life.

Just remember, all: In one way or another, motherhood makes you crazy!

Kidding! Kidding! I think...

[annzeepark914]

I read the book for my book club.  We all found it emotionally draining.  Think I'll skip the movie.