Blessings come in the strangest forms when a young couple’s wishes come true with the crashing of waves. In “The Light Between Oceans”, the newest film written and directed by Derek Cianfrance, In the years following World War I, Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender), a young veteran still numb from his years in combat, takes a job as lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, a remote island off the coast of Western Australia. As the island’s sole inhabitant, he finds comfort in the monotony of the chores and the solitude of his surroundings. When he meets the daughter of the school’s headmaster, Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander), in the local town of Partageuse on the mainland, Tom is immediately captivated by her beauty, wit and passion, and they are soon married and living on the island. As their love flourishes, he begins to feel again, their happiness marred only by their inability to start a family, so when a rowboat with a dead man and infant girl mysteriously washes ashore, Isabel believes their prayers may have finally been answered. As a man of principle, Tom is torn between reporting the lost child and pleasing the woman he loves, and against his better judgment he agrees to let Isabel raise the child as their own, making a choice with devastating consequences. The movie is rated PG-13 for some sexual content.

For the first half of Derek Cianfrance’s latest feature “The Light Between Oceans”, we see a return to form that has earned him praise from this critic as one of the most enchanting directors to ever grace the camera. Cianfrance juggles so many extraordinary methods of storytelling and artistic integrity within film, often radiating a distinct beauty within his cinematography and shooting locations. The choice for a lite-house miles away from civilization certainly communicates a kind of story where anything can happen, and plenty of secrets are kept on the island. What Derek proves here is that even in the most beautiful of locations, the worst can and most likely will happen. Murphy’s law at its finest. Isolation is used so captivatingly bare here, to communicate the very essence of silence providing a soundtrack for the comfortably numb lifestyle that Tom lives before he meets Isabel. The sound editing/mixing here is perfect, echoing an engaging breeze from the coast that rests all around us. Perhaps a calming before the storm that is off in the distance. Cianfrance takes his time, especially when it comes to his most favorite of storytelling aspects; the characters.

What’s so redeeming about the slow pacing of the first act of the movie, is that it takes its time crafting this touching love story between these two young adults, who were lost before they found each other. The real-life romantic relationship between Fassbender and Vikander transcends on-screen, and their passion for one another deserves that kind of time development to relate to the audience how great things are for these two. Of course it doesn’t stay this way, and slowly the wheels start to turn with each surprise that the couple encounter, testing their love and marriage through the thickest of storms that always hits their coast. If we see two young people in love, especially that of two great actors like these, it tugs at the heartstrings of our emotional register once we see the clouds that roll ahead. If Derek has always been known for one thing in films like “Blue Valentine” and “The Place Beyond the Pines”, it’s that bad things happen to the best of people, and that quick turn of the moral knob in this movie left me reeling for two souls who encounter this deconstruction of a post-war love story.

Then the wheels come off, not just with their relationship, but with the movie as well. To say that the second half of this movie feels underwhelming when compared to the near-perfect structure of the first hour, would be an understatement. By the end of this film, there were very much elements relatable to a Nicolas Sparks movie that certainly weren’t necessary. Cianfrance’s writing seems to take the easy way out with the tension that he creates after this big plot twist is revealed, and to me it felt very forced and cookie cutter how the motions start to turn in figuring out Tom and Isabel’s big secret. It was also around this time where the movie started to lose some of its careful pacing. It is nice to receive some shock factor in this movie, but everything here feels frustrating with how illogical these characters act within this screenplay. Characters change their moral compass within the drop of a hat, and nothing ever feels honest or human about the reactions heading into our finale, which felt very contrived with how many changing emotions it tried to relay within the final twenty minutes. I disliked the ending, mostly because things change without rhyme or reason. No explanation given for why characters pass on, or what became of certain plot devices used in a scene prior. It feels like Derek realized this movie was pushing two hours, and decided that the easiest way out was the best for the audience. It takes a real screen master to craft a slow build that is compelling, but unfortunately Derek’s film starts to lose steam as we reach a climax that already feels too long.

The performances are great from a top-notch cast of Hollywood A-listers who make the most of every release. Fassbender continues to be one of the very best actors in the world, and his silently honorable Tom brings out the most in a character who has been mentally disfigured from war. I mentioned earlier that he and Vikander are delight to witness on-screen, and that is because of the obvious real-life fire in chemistry that the two display in every scene of memories for the couple. Vikander’s irresistible smile is only topped by her emotional tug, which haunts the audience over the incapability of having a child. What’s smart about this aspect of the script is that every woman can relate to the negative effects that this will have on a relationship, and Vikander certainly rises to the occasion, perfecting every grain of tragic response to a tee within her loins. The film does slightly manipulate the audience into disliking her by the third act, but her performance carries more weight than the ever-changing script that does her little favors. Rachel Weisz is only in the movie for the second half, but she is leaps and bounds the best aspect of the movie during this time. Weisz commands a logical voice of reason during a time in script when every character feels like they are changing for the worst, and her somber demeanor equals our investment in her character because we know what she has entailed long before the movie reveals her tragic past. Rachel’s Hannah was the character I found myself invested in the most for the final half hour, and Weisz continues to add to an already impressive resume that has her flying under the radar as one of the most emotionally gifted actresses working today.

“The Light Between Oceans” is far from a perfect movie, but the timely performances, as well as a beautifully crafted first act that serves as a text book to character building, keeps it above water through the most violent of creative waves deep within the third act. Cianfrance crafts a discussion piece sure to have its audience constantly reaching for a new tissue. His story reminds us that the past, no matter how buried, will always come back to haunt us. Complex morality plays well with old-fashioned melodrama.

7/10