The Light Between Oceans (Derek Cianfrance, 2016)

A traumatised returnee from the horrors of World War I takes up a solitary post as a lighthouse keeper off the coast of Australia. For a while, his existence is brightened up by being joined there by his new young wife, but then the succession of miscarriages she suffers destabilises their happiness, until the unexpected discovery of a baby in a boat that washes up to the shore.
Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender got married shortly after this film, and the chemistry between them is palpable. On the other hand, while I would usually watch Fassbender painting a fence for two hours, and Vikander projects a strong vitality as well, here he mumbles his lines too monotonously (to cover up an inability to do an Australian accent?) and conversely her character, desperate for a child and little else, goes OTT with hysteria. All that said, it is beautifully shot, making the most of the isolated setting, and manages to evoke an air of melancholy romanticism, albeit through some melodramatic overbombardment.

6/10