All the Light We Cannot See Review Netflix Miniseries: There Are Bonds Capable of Lasting Over Time
Cast: Aria Mia Loberti, Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie
Created By: Steven Knight
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Poetry. Magic. Hope. These are the main elements of the new Netflix miniseries All the Light We Cannot See. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Anthony Doerr and directed by Shawn Levy, this series of just 4 episodes is ready to give the public a dramatic but at the same time light-hearted story, provoke deep but also proactive reflection, and create a show made of shadows but above all lights, desperation but also hope, war but above all human bonds. In 2014, the novel All the Light We Cannot See, written by the American writer Anthony Doerr and published in Italy by Rizzoli, won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. The story, gripping, poetic, and characterized by a non-linear plot, also caught the attention of Netflix, which decided to transform it into a four-part miniseries.
The screenwriter Steven Knight, author of Peaky Blinders and Locke, reworked the pages of the novel, while the direction was entrusted to Shawn Levy (who in his palmarès boasts Night at the Museum, Stranger Things, but also the upcoming Deadpool 3 and an upcoming film in the Star Wars saga). The cast is also A-list: alongside debutante Aria Mia Loberti we find Hollywood stars Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie, as well as Louis Hofmann, the unforgettable protagonist of Dark. In short, on paper, the ingredients for a great success were truly there. However, as we’ll find out in our review of All the Light We Cannot See, something didn’t go according to plan, and the result may not please everyone.
All the Light We Cannot See Review: The Story Plot
France, August 1944: the Allies lay siege to the coastal town of Saint-Melo, and the Nazis barricaded themselves inside together with the civilian population. Every evening a blind girl, Marie-Laure LeBlanc, uses radio frequencies 13 and 10 to launch an appeal in search of her father Daniel, and her great-uncle Etienne, both of whom disappeared in the fury of the war. After her invitation, the young girl always reads a few pages of her favorite novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. In the meantime, the German commander, noting that the bombings are becoming more targeted every day, realizes that someone is communicating the strategic positions of the Nazis to the enemy. Determined to find the mole at any cost, he orders the young radio genius Werner Pfenning to intercept any illegal transmission, teaming up with a sneaky newcomer.
However, the boy tries to keep frequencies 13 and 10 hidden from his superiors, because since childhood he has always followed that distant French channel, from which a mysterious “professor” transmitted to his young listeners his love for science, knowledge, and freedom. Forbidden interests which, as the years passed, allowed him to keep his humanity alive, even during his stay in the infernal Institute of National Political Education. After a long period of silence, Marie’s voice has now appeared on the same frequency, and Werner discovers that the source has always been right there in Saint-Malo. Meanwhile, while the town prepares for the final assault of the Allied forces, a sinister Nazi officer also makes his appearance in the town: his objective is to find the Sea of Flame, a magnificent diamond that Marie’s father allegedly stole from the national museum of Paris to take it away from the invaders. According to an ancient legend, the owner of the gem can enjoy the gift of eternal life, but at the cost of seeing all those he loves to suffer…
The story is set in the heart of the war, in occupied Saint-Malo, but its core is the story of Marie-Laure, a young blind Frenchwoman, and her father Daniel LeBlanc, who flee Paris with a legendary diamond to prevent ending up in the hands of the Nazis. This is just the beginning of a story that develops in the same place but across eras and memories, following different points of view, which should be those of enemies. The escape of Marie and her father is marked by the constant pursuit of a cruel Gestapo officer, Von Rumpel, who wants to take possession of the precious stone for personal purposes. This conflict is the main driving force of the action, which however sees its best light in other aspects.
The beating heart of the story is divided in half, between the young Marie, who despite her blindness has an iron will and a pure heart, and Werner Pfennig, a young German enlisted to track down illegal broadcasts, a true radio genius, who however tries in every way to remain human, himself, in a context whose sole purpose was to empty the souls of its followers. Their unexpected connection is the key element of the plot and brings to light the central theme of the narrative: the strength of human bonds, the power of sharing, and the constant search for beauty in the world. The performances of the young actresses Aria Mia Loberti and Nell Sutton are very intense and pure and give depth to a character who, although on paper she should be the heroine of the story, doesn’t seem very well structured in the writing phase.
All the Light We Cannot See Review and Analysis
In All the Light We Cannot See many emotions assail us, but in a series where we have large quantities and qualities of ideals, dreams, and romance understood in the broadest sense that can exist, one of the things that will strike you the most will be the love of a father, Daniel LeBlanc ( Mark Ruffalo ) towards his daughter, who struggles a lot to combine family and “work” duties. Marie-Laure, born blind, receives all the love a human being could have from her closest loved ones, albeit not without difficulty. But all this is suddenly taken away from her to defend the freedom and ideals of a nation fighting its cruel oppressor. Moving first from Paris to Saint-Malo, getting to know her greatest idol, the one who made her discover that it was possible to see the light despite being blind because it is something perceptible that goes beyond the classic five senses, namely the “Professor”; Spoiler Warning! That is Etienne, a former soldier suffering from post-traumatic shock who continued to serve his country with the use of a real war arsenal: the radio.
Well, through these experiences, between her father and her uncle who was part of the Resistance, led by a group of ladies like Madame Manec, Marie began to become more and more part of it, becoming a real “institution”, taking the place of the Professor at the Radio, and helping Americans by reading “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea”.This is what Marie teaches us, a value that she learned from Etienne, but that somehow she always knew and continued to believe in and carry forward, proudly, on her shoulders, together with the responsibilities she took on during history.
This voice of his also unravels the darkness of the young soldier Pfenning, forced to fight in a cause he doesn’t believe in to protect his sister and himself, enduring the horrors of a terrible war. The two, so similar, unstoppable in their intentions and in believing like a duo of madmen in hope, in not giving up despite all the darkness that surrounds them, unites them also thanks to the radio broadcasts with which they grew up and of which Marie is now part. We also find this “light” in the warm, welcoming photography in which we feel inevitably transported, we perceive it with all the existing and unimaginable senses, which goes beyond everything we know, which goes hand in hand with the scenography which is very well looked after.
Despite an undoubtedly solid and compelling plot, All the Light We Cannot See pays a high price for a running time that is not proportionate to its ambitions: forced into just four episodes, the adaptation of the novel is forced to proceed with a narrative pace that is too tight, which never lets the story breathe adequately. Fortunately, the process of building the characters comes out intact, thanks to the excellent work of the talented newcomer Aria Mia Loberti and the rest of the cast (Hugh Laurie, in particular, is in really great shape!), but what suffers in a particularly serious way is instead the lyrical dimension of a story that would have deserved completely different spaces and depths. The events follow one another without interruption, and the pace of episodes ends up precipitating events without ever giving us time to savor the mystery, experience the wait or at least reflect on what has just happened.
All the Light We Cannot See undoubtedly has more than one merit: the miniseries tells a much more intense and profound story than the average television product in circulation and captures decidedly original philosophical nuances (think of the Nazis’ terrible reinterpretation of the concept of meritocracy, or to the distortion of Nietzsche’s philosophy of the superman). Furthermore, the narrative unfolds effectively on multiple temporal levels, giving us a story written in a much more refined and effective way than many other contemporary TV series. The merit, however, lies above all in the great qualities of its source: even an imperfect adaptation like this still manages to lay bare the great gap that separates the world of literature from many of the mediocre screenplays that crowd the contemporary small screen.
The cast also works and convinces particular merit goes to the choice of Aria Mia Loberti, a blind actress who manages to make the protagonist’s condition more authentic and tangible than ever, while also bringing out her delicate and solitary soul. All these lights, however, are obscured by regret for what could have been a much more solid and ambitious title, instead of being limited to a pale repetition of the novel. On a visual and directorial level, in particular, the series never fully leaves its mark, only rarely allowing the sinister and twilight atmosphere of the end of the Second World War to shine through. The Netflix miniseries replaces the poetry of Anthony Doerr’s novel with the prose of a narrative that is all too dense and pedestrian. However, the undoubted skill of the cast stands out, which would have deserved much more space at a directorial level.
All the Light We Cannot See is the classic example of a series that doesn’t need who knows how many episodes or seasons to send an important message and express its essence. It does it in a short time and effectively, it does it with the right words and dialogues that never exceed, it does it with looks, silence, flashbacks, and a set of characters perfectly studied to tell a story that could reach straight the hearts of the public without too many frills and launch a very timely appeal against all forms of war. Choose All the Light We Cannot See, look at it, enjoy it minute after minute, and let yourself be overwhelmed by the magic that this series can emanate. You won’t regret it because this Netflix title is a real treat.
All the Light We Cannot See Review: The Last Words
In All the Light We Cannot See there is a lot of heart, many right and healthy ideals that are increasingly easy to forget. There are bonds capable of lasting over time, the essence of love between a parent and a child but also the existence of a bond between two people who don’t even know they have one, like between Pfenning and Marie. The first, enlisted to track down the girl’s illegal broadcasts, due to her extraordinary abilities, will do everything to avoid her capture; there is also the bond between Marie and her uncle Etienne, and all the citizens of Saint-Malo who help her without giving in to the threats of the Gestapo. The series has a poignant sweetness, in the most dramatic moments that you will see you will feel your heart breaking for the events that will happen and for the characters, you will be moved by each episode. The direction and the screenplay show us family relationships so strong that they seem surreal, they play between the various generations who find points in common, a single great objective with many nuances that bring them all together.
All the Light We Cannot See Review Netflix Miniseries: There Are Bonds Capable of Lasting Over Time - Filmyhype
Director: Shawn Levy
Date Created: 2023-11-02 19:37
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Pros
- Stunning visuals: The series is beautifully shot, with a particular emphasis on light and shadow.
- Strong performances: Aria Mia Loberti and Louis Hofmann give breakout performances as Marie-Laure and Werner, respectively.
- Emotional impact: The series is a moving and heartbreaking story about the power of love and resilience in the face of adversity.
- Casting of visually impaired actors: The casting of Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure is a significant step forward in terms of representation and authenticity.
Cons
- Overwrought melodrama: The series can be overly sentimental and melodramatic at times.
- Lack of historical accuracy: The series takes a number of liberties with the historical record, which may alienate some viewers.
- Superficial treatment of complex themes: The series superficially treats complex themes such as war, morality, and disability.
- Heavy-handed dialogue: The dialogue can be cheesy and clichéd at times.
