7.2/10
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The Light Between Oceans (2016)

Trailer
2:26 | Trailer
A lighthouse keeper and his wife living off the coast of Western Australia raise a baby they rescue from a drifting rowing boat.

Director:

Derek Cianfrance

Writers:

Derek Cianfrance (written for the screen by), M.L. Stedman (novel)
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Popularity
3,262 ( 19)
1 win & 11 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Fassbender ... Tom Sherbourne
Alicia Vikander ... Isabel Graysmark
Rachel Weisz ... Hannah Roennfeldt
Florence Clery Florence Clery ... Lucy-Grace
Jack Thompson ... Ralph Addicott
Thomas Unger ... Bluey Smart
Jane Menelaus Jane Menelaus ... Violet Graysmark
Garry McDonald Garry McDonald ... Bill Graysmark
Anthony Hayes ... Sergeant Vernon Knuckey
Benedict Hardie ... Constable Harry Garstone
Emily Barclay ... Gwen Potts
Bryan Brown ... Septimus Potts
Stephen Ure ... Neville Whittnish
Peter McCauley ... Sergeant Spragg
Leon Ford ... Frank Roennfeldt

Alicia Vikander Through the Years

Take a look back at the career of Alicia Vikander on and off the big screen.

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Storyline

Tom, a war weary man takes a job as a lighthouse keeper on an island for the solitude. He meets a beautiful young woman, Isabelle and they eventually marry. One day they see a small dingy with an infant and man inside floating in the ocean. They rush to rescue them only to find the man is dead. They struggle over the decision to report it and whether to keep the baby. Heartbroken because she had already had miscarriages twice, Isabelle persuades Tom not to tell anyone about this and leave the girl to herself as if it were their child. He buries the man on the island, and the couple names the girl Lucy. He succumbs to her persuasion just to make her happy. It's only years later that they discover that the child still has a mother looking for her. Written by indialm

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Love demands everything See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was the last DreamWorks film released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through Touchstone Pictures, under the original agreement. See more »

Goofs

Multiple date discrepancies: (1) the calendar in the kitchen in May 1921 showed May 1st as a Monday, but 5/1/21 was a Sunday; (2) the calendar in the kitchen in April 1923 showed April 1st as a Thursday, but 4/1/23 was a Sunday; (3) the calendar in lighthouse in 1923 says Monday, April 27, but 4/27/23 was a Friday; and (4) a notice on a bulletin board in 1927 says a Nativity play will be performed on Saturday, December 14th, but 12/14/27 was a Wednesday. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Tom Sherbourne: I'm just looking to get away from things for a little while.
Mr. Coughlan: [sitting behind his desk] Well, it's no paradise out on that island. Just want to make sure you know what you're in for.
Tom Sherbourne: All due respect, Mr. Coughlan, it's not likely to be tougher than the Western Front.
Mr. Coughlan: Oh, you're probably right about that. You pay your own passage to every posting. You're a relief worker so you don't get holidays. I understand you're a single man. No family. So, that's a slight concern. Wouldn't normally ...
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Alternate Versions

In Singapore, the film was edited in order to obtain a PG classification. The distributor removed an entire sex scene from the film (between Tom and Isabel, in which some sexual movements and brief breast nudity is shown). The film was later passed M18 uncut for it's video release. See more »


Soundtracks

Bist Du Bei Mir
from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
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User Reviews

A beautiful story about right and wrong, and everything in between
26 January 2017 | by Gordon-11See all my reviews

This film tells the story of a married couple living in a remote lighthouse, who finds a drifting boat in the sea with a healthy baby and a dead man inside. They raise the baby as their own, but soon moral challenges arise and they find themselves at an important crossroad.

I'm impressed by how beautiful "The Light Between Oceans" is. The scenery is so beautiful that it makes me want to visit that place and feel its serenity. The pain of the couple and their reasons for making such a decision is well portrayed in the film, and I do feel for them for having live with the consequences of their wrongs. The story is really beautiful because it is a story of love, and paradoxically tells that sometimes the right thing to do may not be the right thing to do. It is so hard to determine what is right and what is wrong in this situation, thereby creating a conflict which keeps the film captivating. I'm deeply moved by both Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander's performances. The film haunts me after it finishes, and I'm still affected by it and ruminating about it.


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Details

Country:

UK | New Zealand | USA | India | Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 September 2016 (Canada) See more »

Also Known As:

The Light Between Oceans See more »

Filming Locations:

Stanley, Tasmania, Australia See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,765,838, 4 September 2016

Gross USA:

$12,545,979

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$25,975,621
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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