Review of the movie Light in the Ocean. From soul to soul (Topic)

To make a movie like "Light in the Ocean", at the same time personal, deep, emotionally penetrating, but does not exploit the viewer, but on the contrary trusts him, is much more difficult than it might seem because of the very simple shell into which director Derek Cianfrance is so carefully and with such love packed this amazing cinematic surprise of this year. The visual language of Cianfranza is endowed with a restraint rare for modern Hollywood: the minimum number of frames, no defiant movements, no unrealistic lighting solutions. Everything is so simple and organic that it turns out not only to fully enjoy the mesmerizing views of Australia - the movie was not movieed on location in vain - but also to see all the complexity of human feelings and relationships without the now almost traditional embellishments.

This story, movieed from the novel by M.L. Stedman, set off the coast of Australia, where Michael Fassbender's character, the stern and reserved Tom, manages a lighthouse on a remote island. Tom went through the war and welcomes the cold loneliness of life on the island, until one day he accidentally meets Isabelle (Alicia Vikander), a young beauty with a huge soul and a noticeable stubbornness. They get married, Isabelle moves to the island, but their happiness is spoiled by incorrectly formed stars: they cannot have their own children. However, God took, God gave, and in a boat washed ashore, Tom and Isabelle find a swaddled child, which they immediately pass off as their own, not suspecting that on the other side he already has a loving mother.

Derek Cianfrance managed to make at least a sincere movie, sometimes becoming an almost meticulous analysis of two people, two bottomless, endless oceans, easily succumbing to both positive and negative emotions: either bathing in each other's glowing eyes, or raging like two colliding black storms. Cianfrance doesn't go to extremes like another famous relationship shaman, Drake Dorimus ("Like Crazy"), known for his ability to movie actors for hours, then edit from all the footage for just a few precious minutes. However, the director of "Light in the Ocean" seeks to explore the nature of human relations in scenes of mute intimacy, when looks and gestures speak more than rehearsed words.

It is interesting to watch the indisputable talents of Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander even in the first half of the movie. when it would seem action is minimized. They get used to the fate of their characters so imperceptibly that their movements, habits, even the flow of their thoughts, stunningly distinctly reflected on the faces of both actors, are often automatically attributed to Fassbender and Vikander themselves, forgetting that these are not their actions and decisions, and that in in reality, they are completely different people.

Thanks to these two real actors, living all the events together with their characters, Cianfranz manages to discern in the simplicity of history the depth of human consciousness, its illogicality and weakness in front of not only temptations, but also pure feelings. In this story, initially there are no villains or heroes. All characters are people with soul, faith and their own convictions, which sometimes run counter to what the heart is screaming about.

The very fact that the director of such low-budget and little-known movies as "Blue Valentine" and "The Place Beyond the Pines" was allowed to settle on a forgotten island with a movie crew, to abandon the controlled environment of British pavilions and create with the expectation of an uncontrollable the changeable weather, speaks of the special belief of the producers that it is worth it. And all the risk, commercial and creative, is visible on the screen. The movie breathes and lives, and does not seem like another pre-planned mechanical toy. This is a real movie, not perfect, not licked, honest, which captures from beginning to end.

Genuine emotions can be seen not only in professional actors, but also in the lovely eyes of Florence Clery, who played Tom's grown-up daughter and Isabelle. Her role is no less intense than that of adults, and then, that Clery, at her innocent age, not only instantly fell in love, but also managed to convey all the rich impressionability of the child's mind, deserves applause. The scenes between her and Rachel Wise, who played a real mother, will touch and sadden even the most hardened cynic.

Naturally, not a single slap-rolling is complete without the music of Alexander Desplat. The only thing that can be blamed on his work is trying to be larger than the movie, due to which the music often envelops the picture, grabbing attention and sometimes offering more explanations than the script. The script is written with an obvious preference for quiet moments, short silent scenes, very organically intertwined with Derek Cianfrance's directorial style, giving freedom to acting impulses and encouraging experimentation.

This is a love story, which sometimes turns out to be stronger than reason, honor, conscience. "Light in the Ocean" is not complete without moments when it seems that this is just another, beautifully movieed story about lovers, but behind the mask of the novel hides much more themes that lead to the most intimate corners of the soul and make you ask yourself questions that are possible simply there is no right answer. Therefore, the movie of Cianfranza engages the viewer in a series of ridicule and meanness constantly playing with the heroes of fate, leading along a difficult path from blind love to all-forgiving love. The artistic beauty of this story speaks for itself, appealing to the soul as much as to common sense. "Light in the Ocean", unlike other movies of Cianfranza, gives a feeling of light sadness, not burning,

The Topic of Article: Review of the movie Light in the Ocean. From soul to soul.
Author: Jake Pinkman