The Light Between Oceans

Lighthouses have a certain mystique. Some have unique features, but most look the same. Yet they are still fascinating. The romantic period drama film THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS takes place at a lighthouse, and the cinematography by Adam Arkapaw is beautiful.

War veteran (World War I) Tom Sherbourne (played by Michael Fassbender) is a lighthouse keeper on an isolated island in Australia. He meets a lady, Isabel (played by Alicia Vikander), in a nearby town, they fall in love, get married, and then want to start a family. Unfortunately, Isabel suffers two miscarriages.

One day a newborn washes ashore in a boat with its deceased father, and Tom, at Isabel's urging, agrees they should raise the child. He reluctantly buries the baby's father. For five years this is a happy family. When Tom discovers who the child's mother is the best part of THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS begins.

Rachel Weisz gives an excellent performance as Hannah, the young girl's mother. Hannah enters the story during the most compelling part of the film. She is a grieving mother and wife who believes she has lost her two beloveds forever.

This is a movie that shows someone who desperately wants to be a mother and one who is a mother experiencing the pain of loss. The person who raises a child is the parent, regardless if she is the birth parent. But is she entitled to keep the child once she discovers who the real mother is? This is an ethical question that seems easy for an observer to answer, but difficult for those who are involved.

THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS is based on the novel by M.L. Stedman and is currently playing in theatres.

Lighthouses I have visited:

Brockton Point Lighthouse in Stanley Park - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Fisgard Lighthouse - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse - Mendocino, California, U.S.A.

Point Arena Lighthouse - Point Arena, California, U.S.A.

Anthropoid

Reinhard Heydrich was a high-ranking German Nazi official during World War II and one of the SS leaders responsible for constructing the Holocaust (Final Solution). The movie ANTHROPOID shows how two agents (played by Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan) from the Czechoslovak government go to Prague on a mission called Operation Anthropoid to assassinate Reinhard Heydrich. They receive help from more agents that are parachuted to Prague, along with some resistance fighters.

It is good when movies like ANTHROPOID are made, because this is a segment of history not often discussed. It is surprising, especially since Heydrich was the only successful government-organized assassination of a top-ranking Nazi during World War II. As a result, this film is an educational period piece.

Unfortunately, a resistance fighter turned on the agents and they were pursued at their place of refuge, Orthodox Cathedral of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Hundreds of Nazi soldiers annihilated the cathedral and a vicious battle took place in which all the agents were killed.

Director Sean Ellis, who also co-wrote the screenplay, does a fine job of capturing the time period and the principal photography actually took place in Prague at locations where Operation Anthropoid was executed. The cast is remarkable, as the audience is able to get a full sense of how each person portrayed was affected by the arduous task of evading the Nazis.

The official Web site for ANTHROPOID is http://www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com/anthropoid. The film is currently playing in theatres.