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True to its title, the drama "The Light Between Oceans" is a luminous telling of a stormy tale of love, loss and circumstance, with a trio of superb actors making the melodramatic moments feel achingly real.
Based on Australian author M.L. Stedman's 2012 novel, the story begins just after World War I, as returning soldier Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) applies for a job tending to the lighthouse on Janus Island, off the coast of Western Australia. It's a lonely place, but after his wartime experiences (to which he only vaguely alludes), Tom would prefer the solitude.
Not long after taking the job, Tom falls in love with Isabel (Alicia Vikander), who lives in the town on the mainland. They marry and set up house on Janus Island, a cozy place to start a family. After a two miscarriages, though, it seems the couple are destined to be childless.
One day, a dinghy washes up on Janus Island. Inside are a dead man and a still-alive baby. Isabel convinces Tom that they should raise the baby as their own, as if the second miscarriage never happened. He reluctantly agrees, desperate to make her happy.
Back on the mainland for the christening of their baby girl, Lucy, Tom sees a woman in the graveyard. He soon realizes the woman, Hannah Roennfeldt (Rachel Weisz), is mourning the man who was washed out to sea — and the baby she believes is dead.
Director-screenwriter Derek Cianfrance ("The Place Beyond the Pines," "Blue Valentine") applies a painterly approach, putting his stars against the harsh, beautiful landscapes of New Zealand and Tasmania (where the movie was filmed). Every moment is heartbreakingly gorgeous, the emotions swelling as Tom and Isabel face the consequences of their fateful decision.
Fassbender and Vikander (who started an offscreen relationship while filming in 2014) have an intense chemistry that stays hot through happy times and sad. They are well balanced by Weisz, who makes Hannah a fearsome combination of fragility and maternal strength. This trio of powerhouse performances make "The Light Between Oceans" a romantic weepie that earns its tears.
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'The Light Between Oceans'
A childless couple are given a chance at parenthood, with a price, in this heartbreaking romantic drama.
Where • Area theaters.
When • Opens Friday, Sept. 2.
Rating • PG-13 for thematic material and some sexual content.
Running time • 124 minutes.