The Light Between Oceans

[stuartboy]

What a great story and a super film. Slightly disappointed by the rather abrupt change to the final scene but at least it tied it off nicely. Nicely original with good acting and great location scenery. Easily recommended. Surprisingly long but didn't notice it. Did notice how quiet it was in a busy cinema. All attention focused.

8/10

[baty]

Well while I loved it my OH hated it. I enjoyed the slow long shots of the main character - the scenery. I haven't read the book so went in with hope in my heart.... not disappointed.

Surprisingly had a couple of walkouts.
8/10

[stuartboy]

Small point - why did no-one bother with Australian accents? We're it not for Waltzing Matilda being sung at a christening this could have been set anywhere.

[Slotcaruk]

Disapointing
I was falling asleep the first 30 minites
Even the German spoke perfect English when he was suppose to an accent
For the Romantics

[steve]

This was a story of conflict. Should I stay and see if it got any better or go home and get some tea. I stayed it didn't improve, I found it very boring. 4/10

[Noorjahapatel]

An unusual film but I tend to find that with Australian dramas and films. The story builds up happiness and then trauma follows. This is done well. The difficult situations and decisions made me think about such dilemmas. The accents are poor. The acting is good. It is a long film.

7/10

[ladams888]

Saw this last night in the, as usual, very-dirty Kingston Odeon. Having just finished the book about ten days ago, I was much looking forward to seeing the film, and, apart from a couple of deviations from the plot-line, I thought it was very true to the book. Of course, you cannot encompass all the anguish and emotions that were present in the book into two and a quarter hours, but that aside, the screenplay and characters were very true to the book. Derek Cianfrance, who not only directed it but also wrote the screenplay knew exactly how to pare down the plot, but still keep the story intact.

The casting was excellent with Michael Fassbender as the quiet, shell-shocked WWI veteran whose only aim was to do what was right and Alicia Vikander as the impulsive teenager he eventually marries. Both characters were exactly as I had imagined. Florence Clery was an absolute delight as the four-year-old Lucy-Grace. One unnecessary deviation from the plot was that Frank was actually Austrian not German. The townspeople simply thought he was German because he spoke German and persecuted him because of this.

The cinematography was excellent with many long shots of the deserted West Australian landscape (which was actually filmed in Tasmania!) – which encouraged us all to feel the desolation first-hand. I would imagine that if you hadn’t read the book, you would find it boring. For me it completely encompassed the message the book was trying to get across – even if you always want to do the right thing, sometimes your loyalties are divided and you have a make a decision which may eventually hurt someone. 9/10

[Bluebell]

A love story set on a remote island where Tom and Isabel lead a blissfully happy existence which is eventually marred by Isabel's miscarriages and her emotional breakdown. A solution appears to present itself when a baby and its dead father are washed up in a boat on the island. Tom is persuaded by his young wife that they should bring up the baby as their own. However Tom is torn between loyalty to his wife and doing the right thing when he discovers the baby's real mother grieving for the loss of her husband and baby. This is a beautiful well acted film which I enjoyed and would recommend. 8/10

[prettyxcool]

A slow burner, but a beautifully told story and well acted by Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander and what a delightful little girl who played Lucy-Grace. What a dilemma to have to face. 7/10

Spoiler

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Can someone let me know either by pm or spoiler as I didn't under why or how the Austrian/German husband ended up on the boat with the baby on his own, and how did he die, was he dying anyway, and if he was why did he take the baby?

[fillumboy2]

Would like to see this, but our local Odeon has chosen to put on screening times which are either too early to get to in time from work or so late that we would not get home until midnight.

Can only hope they keep it on another week without switching to the very unhelpful "weekday matinees only" pattern that they keep doing.