2023-11-02 15:38:17
Saint-Malo, 1944. While every night the Breton city occupied by the Nazis suffered American bombings, the blind teenager Marie read passages from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” on the radio, defying the prohibitions of the ‘enemy. A few streets away, a young German soldier, Werner, listens to his words religiously, wondering who is behind this voice.
The intersecting destinies of the two heroes were born in the pages of the novel “All the Light We Cannot See”, by American author Anthony Doerr, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2015. Here it is adapted into a four-episode mini-series , uploaded to Netflix this Thursday, November 2. This fiction is by Steven Knight, known for creating the excellent “Peaky Blinders” (six seasons available on Netflix). Shawn Levy, director of the “Night at the Museum” trilogy and multiple episodes of “Stranger Things” (four seasons on Netflix) is behind the camera for all four parts.
The poignant performance of Aria Mia Loberti
Visually, the historical reconstruction is of quality and the illusion works when we know that the series was filmed in Hungary, in Brittany as well as in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, in Aveyron. The troupe of actors is international, but no actor from France is on the horizon in the main roles: here, regardless of their nationality, all the characters speak in English.
For the French protagonists, we are thus entitled to big names like the American Mark Ruffalo (Hulk in the “Avengers” saga) or the British Hugh Laurie (“Dr House”). On the German side, the origin is more respected with Louis Hofmann, who played one of the main roles in “Dark” (three seasons on Netflix), as well as Lars Eidinger, one of the faces of “Babylon Berlin” (four seasons on MyCanal) . But the most poignant performance is that of Aria Mia Loberti, who plays Marie.
The young American actress plays here her very first role, she who had never even had an audition before this one. The creators were looking for a visually impaired young woman like the character, this is the case of Aria Mia Loberti, suffering from achromatopsia, a congenital eye disease. Extremely touching, the actress is a real revelation, eclipsing her most experienced partners, Mark Ruffalo as her father, or Hugh Laurie as her great-uncle.
The staging lacks a little momentum by remaining too classic but, despite a few over-emphasized clichés, the scenario is rhythmic and full of tension. We therefore easily let ourselves be taken in by this beautifully crafted entertainment.
Editor’s note:
“All the Light We Cannot See”, American mini-series by Steven Knight (2023) with Aria Mia Loberti, Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie… Four episodes of 51 to 62 minutes each.
#Light #Netflix #ambitious #historical #fiction