The Light Between Oceans

Australian movies made for an international market never seem to hit the mark for the intended audience. Recent efforts like The Water Diviner and The Dressmaker were flops despite having big names like Russell Crowe and Kate Winslet. However, when you bring an outsider in to show their perspective on Australian life, it always seems a lot more effective. Add a couple of high profile international stars and you may have a winner.

Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) has returned home to Western Australia after World War I. In order to find some solitude after the horrors of war, he gets a job as a lighthouse keeper on an island of the coast. On one of his trips back to the mainland, he meets Isabel (Alicia Vikander) and slowly he falls in love with her, despite being separated by the sea. Eventually they wed and she moves to the island with him. Even though it is a harsh environment, they build a life together and are happy until Isabel miscarries not one but two pregnancies. All hope seems lost for them when a boat drifts ashore with a dead man and a baby girl. Isabel convinces Tom that they keep they child rather than telling anyone what happened and they soon return to life like nothing has happened. When they return to the mainland to show off their new child, Tom meets Hannah (Rachel Weisz), whom he learns lost her baby daughter and husband at sea a few years earlier. Soon Tom is wracked with grief and indecision about what to do.

Derek Cianfrance has always been an actor's director. His last two movies have been performance driven and The Light Between Oceans is no different. Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are two actors at the top of their game. They, along with Rachel Weisz, all fall into stride with fantastic Aussie accents, one that isn't the easiest to do. Granted, that isn't what makes their performances good, it's just an added bonus. What makes their performances so great is their pure commitment to the emotions that are necessary. Tom is supposed to be a character haunted by his experiences in the war and Fassbender masterfully pulls that off. His guilt is entirely believable and at times you felt the pain he had in keeping his secret. Vikander and Weisz are also great at tearing the emotions out from the audience. Both women have their legitimate claim to raising their daughter but the pain in having to potentially give her up is too much. There are three great performances from Aussie veterans Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson and Gary MacDonald that really form a good backbone to the cast.

There are a few missteps in terms of telling the story however. Cianfrance is definitely a fan of an easily identifiable three act structure movie. First, Isabel and Tom get to know each other, then they get married and find the baby, finally the guilt and decision to tell the truth. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it makes the movie a tad slower and seems sloppy. There is a lot of clunky dialogue, like when Jack Thompson's character explains in a rather heavy handed way what happened to Hannah's husband, something the film has subtly hinted at using the unique cinema technique of editing. There is an early montage of letter writing between Tom and Isabel as well that is rather dull and expository.

I guess the reason I really like this movie because of the way it's an Australian film without being one. Australian movies tend to shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to international audiences because you can never beat Crocodile Dundee and that's what they want. It takes an outsider to show the rest of the world what an Aussie movie can be and it takes an actor like Fassbender to show that people really can do our accent. Other than that, it's an emotionally raw epic that tugs at the heartstrings. Especially that epilogue scene.

The Place Beyond The Pines

One of the first descriptions I read of this movie said that it was a multi-generational saga. And boy, you better believe it's a saga. But at no stage during the 158 minute running time did I want it to stop. Also, Ryan Gosling.

The Place Beyond The Pines has three consecutive stories that all affect each other and, more importantly, the characters within them. The first story follows Luke Glanton (Ryan Gosling), a stunt rider in a traveling carnival (so basically he's a carnie), who finds out that he has a son from a fling that he had with Romina (Eva Mendes). Because he doesn't want his son to turn out like he did (with an absent father), he promises to provide for him. But Romina has moved on, with a new man in her life, Kofi (Mahershala Ali). Luke still wants to provide for his son, so he starts to rob banks with the help of his friend, Robin (Ben Mendelsohn). This life soon takes a heavy toll on him.

The second story follows Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), a young hero cop who becomes involved in police corruption. He turns to his father, a former judge, for advice. His father tells him that the best course of action would be to take down the corrupt officers, which include Pete DeLuca (Ray Liotta). He turns them into the district attorney, Bill Killcullen (Bruce Greenwood). He also has an infant son with his wife (Rose Byrne).

The third story picks up fifteen years later. Both Luke's son, Jason (Dane DeHaan), and Avery's son, AJ (Emory Cohen), become friends in high school. It is only after Jason becomes aware of Avery's involvement in his father's death that things start to go off the rails.

This movie is fantastic. This is Derek Cianfrance's second film after Blue Valentine (which also starred Gosling). He has crafted an immense flowing storyline, that whilst doesn't explore every single possibility, is still coherent and easy to watch.

The film also looks amazing. It is set in upstate New York and some of the scenery is amazing. So too is the set design in the small town in which it is set.

In my review for Gangster Squad earlier this year, I said that Ryan Gosling works best when he's outside the Hollywood system. Whilst he's not in this movie for too long, his character resonates and you can see a little bit of him in his son. Because he has worked with Cianfrance previously, you can see that relationship come through. At first I thought his character was going to be similar to the Driver, but not at all. You can see that all Luke wants is what's best for his son.

The character who we see the most in this movie is Avery Cross, so that meant just a little bit too much Bradley Cooper for me to handle. When he's in a movie like the Hangover where he has other actors as a buffer, I find him more tolerable.

The women in this movie are also very strong. Mendes' Romina still shows feelings toward Luke, but ultimately knows what's best for her son. We don't see a lot of Rose Byrne, but when we do, you know that she is a stronger person than her husband.

I always feel good when I see Australians in American film, so to see Ben Mendelsohn in this movie made me feel good. Here, he plays an extremely toned down version of the character he played in Animal Kingdom, a man who has lived the life but is happy to settle down. Ray Liotta on the other hand, plays the greediest person alive. His character knows that because this is a small town, he can get away with his corruption.

Finally, Dane DeHaan is someone to watch out for. I recognised him from Chronicle and I hear he will be playing Harry Osborn in the new Spiderman movie. In this role, he has to carry a lot of emotional weight on his shoulders and he pulls it off perfectly.

Verdict: I'm not afraid to say that this film might have to compete with Django for my favourite movie of the year, because it really deserves it. And, of course, Ryan Gosling.