Film Review – The Light Between Oceans

Writer/director Derek Cianfrance has developed a reputation for quality work. He’s drawn to grim material, detailing the death of a marriage in “Blue Valentine” and the death of innocence in “The Place Beyond the Pines.” Now it’s time for the helmer to explore the death of life itself in “The Light Between Oceans,” an adaptation of M.L. Stedman’s 2012 novel. Oppressively melancholy with a special interest in morbid turns of plot, the feature positions itself as a stately drama, respecting its literary origins by taking time with initial characterizations and the wind-whipping setting. However, to Cianfrance, a scene isn’t a scene unless it leaves the audience completely numb, with “The Light Between Oceans” unable to emerge from the dark, effectively destroying whatever richly mournful qualities were found in the source material. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com