The Light Between Oceans (2016)

In the aftermath of World War I, Tom (Michael Fassbender) goes to work on a remote lighthouse on Janus Rock, off the coast of Australia. He marries a local woman (Alicia Vikander) but their wish to have children is thwarted when Isabel twice miscarries. Then they find a baby lost at sea and washed up on their beach. The decision to keep it and pretend it’s their own child rather than report the discovery becomes the defining moment of their lives. 

It’s a harrowing drama that’s brilliantly done. Both of the stars are entirely believable. You can feel their love for one another and their pain when things go wrong. Rachel Weisz is also excellent as the child’s actual mother. 

The landscapes look beautiful, with a special kind of light. The music, by Alexandre Desplat, is fitting for a story that’s – at various points – romantic, moving and emotional.