The restless tide is apt to bring in anything, a character observes in The Light Between Oceans, Derek Cianfrance’s handsomely earnest melodrama. A decorated former soldier, Tom seeks to escape memories of the killing that has “made me numb,” as he confesses to starry-eyed mainland girl Isabel. She’s eager to follow him anywhere, to start bearing the brood of children they both want. Writer/director Cianfrance has made his name with stories of combustible love, having won deserved raves for the palpable heartache of his earlier Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines. What power the film possesses is due mainly to the expressive performances of Fassbender and Vikander, who sweep away the murk more than any lighthouse ever could.

Source: thestar September 01, 2016 16:41 UTC