The Light Between Oceans

Too much time and effort in Cinemaland is wasted turning film into a game of winners and losers; Movie X made Y dollars so it matters more than Movie Z. But a film is way more than its box-office total. Some of the best movies released in 2016 failed to meet their financial expectations.

Derek Cianfrance’s ‘The Light Between Oceans’ might be the most heartbreaking movie of the year. Cianfrance’s (‘Blue Valentine,’ ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’) latest looks at the many sides of grief and guilt, and how one’s joy may come at the expense of another’s pain.

Y’know those back to school ads for Staples? The ones that repurpose the Christmas standard “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” to celebrate children going back class? I always hated those ads as a kid. Going back to school was not a time to celebrate. It was a time for grief and mourning.

The new Tomb Raider might be making her way into Hollywood blockbusters, especially with the upcoming Jason Bourne, but Alicia Vikander is still intent on using her acting skills to make you weep. If you thought she was done sweeping up awards last year, the woman-who-never-stops-making-movies has another likely awards season contender this fall in ‘The Light Between Oceans,’ and you may want to get some tissues for it.

The Light Between Oceans definitely looks like a Derek Cianfrance film: beautiful actors experiencing not-so-beautiful things in an emotionally devastating, intimate drama. The first trailer for the director’s follow-up to the divisive Place Beyond the Pines is here, featuring current Oscar hopefuls Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender in what could be an early contender for next year’s awards. If nothing else, this movie looks like it’s going to shatter your heart into a tiny thousand pieces.