September 28, 2016

September - The Light Between Oceans: The Movie


In 2013, our book club read M. L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans. We loved it and found so much to talk about. We decided to do something different this month and go see the movie adaptation of a book we had all enjoyed.

Only three of us were able to make it (the rest of you will be sorry!) and were not disappointed. It is beautifully filmed and the acting is superb. Alicia Vikander, as Isabel Sherbourne, is especially terrific; her portrayal of a women suffering through a miscarriage is absolutely heartrending. There were tears!

Ann felt that the movie was a bit too slow - it is. But some of that, we thought, was essentially to give the feeling of isolation on the island that's essential to feel. Lisa had a problem with the costuming which she felt was of the wrong era for just one character and we all agreed that a shot of a hand at the very end of the film was not well done. That sounds silly when typed out - but it was a close up of a hand meant to be that of a middle-aged woman but was clearly a much younger hand. It's a little thing but it was so disconcerting.

The theater was full of groups of women - all book club groups. Clearly our club was not the only club that had read and enjoyed the book. We were also not the only group that stayed for a bit once the movie was done to discuss the book.