“All The Light We Cannot See” is a beautiful masterpiece and extraordinary work. It was first written by Anthony Doerr back in 2014. It then won the Pulitzer Prize and became a well-respected novel. “All The Light We Cannot See” is a WWII historical fiction novel. It tells the story of a blind girl named Marie-Laure DeBlanc and a young German boy named Werner Pfennig. For both of them, the radio was an important part of their lives, and we see that grow as the time goes on. The majority of the work takes place in a city called Saint-Malo. It takes turns telling the story from the characters’ pasts to their present which eventually comes together where you see them at their present time during the end.
“All The Light We Cannot See” has recently been made into a series on Netflix. It was directed by Shawn Levy and consists of four episodes that tell the story of the book. I think the cast is very incredible with each person really showing their character. One of the most outstanding being Aria Mia Loberti, who portrays Marie-Laure. When trying to find the perfect person for this role, Shawn Levy wanted a low vision or blind actor. He received hundreds of applications for the position, but one stood out to him. Loberti had never acted before, she was an academic, but she did great! She quickly rose up to the job and did an absolutely stunning portal. She was an inspiration for everyone. It is just unbelievable to think about all the challenges she faced and all the work she put in, but she did it. Other members of the cast include Louis Hofmann, Mark Ruffalo, and Hugh Laurie. They all did a fabulous job representing the characters and their stories. The cast is always such an important part of a film, and I feel this cast really rose up to the challenge and represented all their characters’ pasts and emotions really well.
I personally thought the series was really good and that it did a good job of following the storyline. There of course wasn’t as many details as in the book but it still did a fabulous job of showing all the important moments. The show can get a bit gruesome and violent, but that is expected since it is based during a war. I personally thought it had some really good messages and some really beautiful and emotional scenes. One of the most important messages is probably to never give up hope. We see these characters go through so much. They have had so many hardships and troubles, but they still have hope. It is just extraordinary to see their resilience in the face of war.
It is also interesting to see all the physical things in the series. One of the pinnacle things in the works is a small wooden replica of the entire town. It was made by Marie’s father so she could learn all the streets and roads in the city. I think this is such a clever and meaningful thing because it just shows how strong the bond is between Marie and her father, and it shows how clever she is. Another important thing is the radio. The radio is so important because it is like this steady base-line throughout the series, and it just seems to connect the characters. I truly think they achieved a great accomplishment with this film. Even though the characters and their stories aren’t real, the war and events that occurred in Saint-Malo were very real. It just goes to show the challenges faced during war and hope of the people to get through it.
