Tag Archives: The Light Between Oceans

2019, Recent Reviews, Reviews

Earthquake Bird (2019): Subdued Thriller

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Based on a best-selling novel, Earthquake Bird is the story of a translator living in Japan and the series of relationships she forms. Lucy Fly (Alicia Vikander; The Light Between Oceans) is a Swedish woman who translates English films that begins a romance with Teiji (Naoki Kobayashi; Tatara Samurai) after he takes a photo of her walking by. Their relationship progresses naturally, but is changed when Lucy is asked to help an American that has recently moved to Tokyo, Lily (Riley Keough; Mad Max: Fury Road). Lily begins to tag along on their outings leading to jealousy and potentially worse when Lily goes missing.

Foreign films set in Japan often focus on its eccentricities, but director Wash Westmoreland (Colette) is interested in the escape it provides. Lucy and Lily talk about how, as foreigners, they receive extra attention that can be addicting in comparison with their home countries. With Lucy we see that she views Japan as a sanctuary. A place where no one knows her and, since the film is set in the 80s, a place where she can remain cutoff if she wants to. Lily approaches Japan from a similar angle. She wants a fresh start in a place with different customs, different rules, and hopefully a different life. This view of life as a migrant is a unique portrayal of Japan and sheds light on Lucy and Lily’s personalities.

The love triangle never reaches its potential.

Vikander is excellent as the reserved Lucy Fly. Lucy is a victim of trauma and has faced personal tragedy that she blames herself for and has led a restricted life. She left her homeland to distance herself from her past, but also uses the enormity of Tokyo to distance herself from others. She is emotionally closed-off and reluctant to form new bonds which Vikander conveys through subtle hesitation and controlled expressions. She rarely emotes and it serves to show afraid she is to reveal herself, even if it is just a simple smile. This makes her strange courtship with Teiji, which begins with an awkward ramen meal, uncommon because she rarely expresses herself in the time they spend together. Instead, we see longing form in her eyes and witness her insecurities grow as she develops feelings for him. Lucy is not a typical protagonist, but Vikander’s nuanced performance makes her a compelling one.

Despite the strength of the lead actress, the film struggles to create its mystery. Westmoreland uses the same cold exterior that Lucy displays for the tone of the film to limited success. The plot progression is slow and there is a noticeable emptiness to the film. Even the busy streets of Tokyo often seem sparsely populated and it gives the impression that the direction is missing some much needed energy. Lily, as the more outgoing American, initially appears like she will be this spark, but even her role is muted. Keough gives a much more carefree performance that contrasts well with Vikander but she is still fairly subdued. Even in the film’s climactic moments, it does not break its placid exterior. The lack of energy behind Earthquake Bird’s central mystery makes it a mostly subdued thriller and weakens the impact of the intriguing love-triangle and Vikander’s refined performance.

3/5 stars.

2018, Recent Reviews, Reviews

Tomb Raider (2018): An Agreeable Expedition

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Being both a reboot and a video game adaptation doesn’t usually raise expectations for a movie. The first Tomb Raider films starred Angelina Jolie over a decade ago and performed well as far as video game movies go, but the newest iteration is an adaptation of the most recent video games. In 2013, the Tomb Raider games relaunched with a new Lara Croft, younger and unobjectified, and this film follows that story. Lara (Alicia Vikander; The Light Between Oceans) is living on her own as a bike courier in London after the disappearance of her father seven years earlier. When asked to meet with her lawyer regarding her family’s large estates, she discovers a message from her father about the true nature of his absence. He left for a remote island where he believed an ancient secret was buried. Determined to find him, Lara leaves England and faces the island’s natural dangers along with a competing organization led by Walter Goggins (The Hateful Eight).

With a smaller frame than Jolie, Vikander was not an obvious choice to play Lara. She has spent months training for the role and while her stature is still small, she has bulked up to the point that her fighting and, most importantly, her climbing is believable. Her Lara is an imperfect adventurer, stumbling occasionally and taking more than her fair share of hits, but she still preserves. Her determination, both as an actress or as the character, is what we see onscreen and it makes her a charismatic presence.

Vikander has to work with a script that doesn’t always portray Lara in the best light. In its attempts to show her youth and inexperience, the writing can make her seem petulant and, in some cases, downright dumb. She lives independent of her family’s wealth but is in debt and still refuses to sign the necessary paperwork to have the estate transfer to her, leaving the fate of their assets in question. Establishing Lara as a self-made adult is important but choosing independence to the point that it jeopardizes her family’s entire wealth is a ridiculous decision that undermines the sympathy the film is trying to elicit.

Vikander proves herself to be a tough, capable Lara.

The supporting cast is mostly capable, but Goggins as the villain is not. His acting career has featured many eccentric roles, but here he pulls back too far. His performance is more subdued than subtle and he often comes off as disinterested. He delivers threats at gunpoint with little credible danger and seems to space out in the middle of a line as if his thoughts were drifting elsewhere during production.

A weak human villain leaves the environment to become the real antagonist. The film pulls from several specific set pieces from the video game and renders them surprisingly well. The iconic river and waterfall scene is shown with impressive scale. The sheer number of precarious situations Lara finds herself in can stretch belief, but, as an action movie, director Roar Uthaug (The Wave) keeps the death defying stunts relatively grounded. The pain that Lara suffers allows each narrow escape to feel earned, not given.

The events that propel the action are fairly standard, but well executed. The missing father trope has been repeated time and time again and when Lara finally reaches the titular tomb, it sticks closely to the elaborate traps and crumbling architecture of any Indiana Jones movie. Uthaug’s main accomplishments have been creating action scenes that have scale and weight and moving the story along at a brisk pace. The film doesn’t break any molds, but the set pieces and Vikander’s committed performance make Tomb Raider an agreeable expedition.

3/5 stars.

2016, Recent Reviews, Reviews

The Light Between Oceans (2016)

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Despite its similar naming structure, The Light Between Oceans, shares few similarities to its predecessor The Place Beyond the Pines. Set in Australia shortly after WWI, the film stars Michael Fassbender (Shame) as Tom Sherbourne, a veteran hired as a lightkeeper for a remote island. Soon, he meets and falls in love with Isabel (Alicia Vikander; Ex Machina). After their marriage, they have two miscarriages within three years leaving Isabel despondent until a rowboat washes ashore. Inside they find a dead man and the baby girl that will forever change their lives. Tom attempts to report the incident, but buckles under Isabel’s desire to have a child.

Once the little girl, Lucy, enters the picture, Tom and Isabel’s lives are filled with joy. They play with their new daughter and show her off to their family and friends. The hapiness lasts until her christening where Tom spots a tearful woman, Hannah (Rachel Weisz; The Deep Blue Sea), praying in front of a grave for her husband and infant daughter who were lost at sea the same day he found Lucy. Racked with guilt and unable to persuade Isabel to confess their sins, Tom leaves a note for Hannah letting her know her baby is safe, but her husband is dead. What soon follows is a messy situation. Lucy taken from the parents she knows to the rightful mother she wants nothing to do with as Tom and Isabel face repercussions of their actions.

In its early parts, The Light Between Oceans resembles a Nicholas Sparks movie. The leads only require one picnic before Isabel brings up the idea of marriage so they can spend the next 10 minutes handwriting cliche-ridden professions of love a la Dear John. “I never knew I could talk about the way I feel”, writes Tom. Cianfrance’s films are known for their raw intensity of character interactions. He’s been called an “actor’s director” because he is able to create an original intimacy even in predictable situations, like the relationship in Blue Valentine. This makes the overly simplistic beginning to the central romance especially disappointing. Fassbender and Vikander are a real life couple, but their early scenes of courtship (or rather the single scene) feel forced. It’s like the director looked at the actors and said “Be perfect for each other” and started rolling. Isabel’s optimism doesn’t match with Tom’s taciturn demeanor and it’s unclear why either has developed affection. Fortunately, the romance becomes more believable as the two grow closer during the hardships they face.

The gorgeous scenery monopolizes the early parts of the film. Excessive, but beautiful.
The gorgeous scenery monopolizes the early parts of the film. Excessive, but beautiful.

The Sparks comparison extends to the setting and cinematography. The film is set by the ocean with an overabundance of landscape shots. Granted, the visuals are breathtaking. Ocean waves crashing against the shore and lonely sunsets dominate the first half of the movie. While aesthetically stunning, the focus on the backdrops unnecessarily slows down the film’s pace and has the unintended effect of distancing the viewer from the central conflict. The fading light of the sun seems to carry equal importance to Tom and Isabel’s relationship early on, but Cianfrance lacks the ability to imbue meaning into the natural imagery. He is not Terrence Malick.

In the final act the film, Cianfrance finally delivers on the emotional resonance he is known for. Actions have consequences, and the depth of Tom and Isabel’s relationship is shown, not told, as they take steps to protect each other. Here, the professions of love are earned. In some ways, The Light Between Oceans is Cianfrance’s version of a Merchant Ivory film. Romantic, but deliberately old-fashioned with his natural inclinations muted until the end. Still, not many filmmakers working today can match Cianfrance’s ability to draw out an emotional response. The feelings come like waves hitting the rocks of the island, overwhelming and powerful. While the The Light Between Oceans starts out slow, the scenery is enough to carry the film to its piercing final third.

4/5 stars.