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The Light Between Oceans

Play trailer 2:25 Poster for The Light Between Oceans PG-13 Released Sep 2, 2016 2h 13m Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
62% Tomatometer 235 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Tom is a World War I veteran who maintains a lighthouse off the shore of Australia with his wife Isabel, a woman desperate to have a baby. Her prayers are answered when an infant washes up on shore in a rowboat. Tom thinks they should notify the authorities but ultimately gives in to Isabel's wish to keep the girl. Fate strikes again when the couple meet the child's biological mother on the mainland. Now, Tom and Isabel must make a decision that will forever affect the lives of four people.
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The Light Between Oceans

The Light Between Oceans

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Critics Consensus

The Light Between Oceans presents a well-acted and handsomely mounted adaptation of its bestselling source material, but ultimately tugs on the heartstrings too often to be effective.

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Critics Reviews

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Kristen Lopez Culturess With strong acting as its anchor, breathtaking cinematography accompanies this tale guaranteed to tug on those heartstrings. Nov 20, 2017 Full Review Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online From lesser actors, the story would have definitely become the worst Nicholas Sparks film adaptation ever. But they make you feel for them, even when they're making poor life decisions that you know will end miserably. Rated: B+ Mar 21, 2017 Full Review Wendy Ide Observer (UK) Instead of tear-jerking, this approach eventually sees the audience dry-eyed with irritation. Rated: 2/5 Nov 6, 2016 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Cianfrance's entire film feels like an open wound that would heal if only the characters could stop and behave rationally, but rationality has no place in a melodrama. Rated: 3/4 Apr 11, 2022 Full Review Hosea Rupprecht Pauline Media Studies A story like The Light Between Oceans, used age-appropriately, of course, could provide parents and teachers with a powerful opportunity to talk about how making good decisions isn't always easy... Aug 26, 2021 Full Review Richard Crouse Richard Crouse Plays like a highbrow Nicolas Sparks story in period clothes. Rated: 2/5 Mar 1, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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LacosteTK N Like Anime Movies Before It. It's Emotional, Driven By The Most Talented Actors Of Our Time, They Should've Won Ascars For This, I Cried Like a Baby When This Movie Ended, The Cinematography Is Perfection, The Music, And Everything In Between Is Done Perfectly. I Will Recommend This Movie For Generations To Come. 100/100 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/11/24 Full Review Weighty Connected L "You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day, all the time. You have to keep remembering the bad things. It's too much work." All of us fallen human beings, living in a fallen world, have experienced hurt and have seen pain, leading us to make wrong decisions; but God, through love, brings us together more than anything. This 2016 film by Derek Cianfrance, which is an adaptation of a novel, is beautiful, with a story that's woven to tug at your heart and feel for the characters. The leads (Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Rachel Weisz) were great at their performances, the music is touching and moving, and the cinematography is excellent. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/20/24 Full Review steve d A bit melodramatic but the actors make it work. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Elegante dramma condotto dalla coppia nella vita e davanti allo schermo Fassbender - Vikander, ottimi attori in grado di creare due personaggi ben definiti e diversi tra di loro. La fotografia eleva ancor di più l'eleganza del film e ne compone probabilmente la parte meglio riuscita. La trama invece non è particolarmente originale e soprattutto in alcune fasi ci sarebbe bisogno di alleggerire maggiormente; appare evidente come anche nei momenti di gioia familiare, aleggi il dramma dietro l'angolo; portando questi momenti a non essere veritieri e spontanei. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review william f An absolute tear-jerker. I could only watch it in instalments, although it's film length. Too beautiful, too sad. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review s r A well made period drama that too a popular novel and turned it into a romantic drama that at times descended into soap opera. Although it created moral dilemmas that had no clear answers, gender stereotypes undermined it for me. It was beautifully shot, but not one I need to see again. Fassbender was good as usual. Vickander and Weisz mostly distracted with their irrationality and melodrama. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Light Between Oceans

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Tom is a World War I veteran who maintains a lighthouse off the shore of Australia with his wife Isabel, a woman desperate to have a baby. Her prayers are answered when an infant washes up on shore in a rowboat. Tom thinks they should notify the authorities but ultimately gives in to Isabel's wish to keep the girl. Fate strikes again when the couple meet the child's biological mother on the mainland. Now, Tom and Isabel must make a decision that will forever affect the lives of four people.
Director
Derek Cianfrance
Producer
David Heyman, Jeffrey Clifford
Screenwriter
Derek Cianfrance
Distributor
Walt Disney
Production Co
Heyday Films, Participant Media
Rating
PG-13 (Thematic Material|Some Sexual Content)
Genre
Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 2, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 24, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.5M
Runtime
2h 13m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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