All the Light We Cannot See

Engaging and watchable 4 part series telling the tale of a blind French girl, a German soldier/radio operator and, somewhat loosely, the French resistance during WW2 in occupied St Malo in France. Good cast, Hugh Laurie as ever excellent but not convinced Mark Ruffalo was right for his part, some slightly odd accents going on there! Along with the great cast, good cinematography, pacing and dialogue make the whole thing work well if not exactly standout. Just think maybe it could/should have had more of a European feel about it considering the subject matter. Still, it's far from the worst thing Netflix has put out...

This is a fantastic story. Too bad the makers of it didn't invest in great writers. I know the cast is super talented, but I felt at moments that both Ruffalo and Laurie were miscast. But the dialogue at times was just plain bad. Things were said two or three times that should not have been said at all - like the audience was too stupid to understand unless they spelled things out explicitly. Still, it's worth a watch just because the story is excellent, and other than the occasionally bad writing, the rest of the film is enjoyable. Most viewers will like it - only snobs like me will find any issues with it.

Netflix took a Pulitzer-Prize winning novel and arrogantly thought they could somehow make it better by changing the story line and fates of the characters in so many ways. They absolutely did not make it better, or even do it justice. I absolutely loved the book and was so excited to watch this. I am so beyond disappointed in this adaptation. Why couldn't they have at least found actors who could pull off a French accent instead of sounding like some odd British-American combination? Did the script writers and casting agents ever even read the book all the way through? Please stop doing this to great books!

All The Light We Cannot See takes a lot of liberties compared to its source material. The most glaring of which is its choice of having everyone speak English. It's a jarring decision and incredibly inconsistent with its actors. You have German Actora portraying Germans speaking English in France with a German Accent, British Actors Portraying the French in France with English Accents, and an American Actor portraying a Frenchman in France with an English Accent.

The biggest thing missed out because if all that is how important the language barrier was there, both historically and in the source material but someone made an ill-advised decision to have everyone speak English instead of going with what would have been an excellent subtitled series with everyone speaking their character's native and/or learned tongues.

Aria (Marie) does an excellent job in her acting debut, along with her more seasoned German co-star Louis Hofman. Hugh Laurie is an absolute delight to watch in anything and the supporting cast does well. Now for the Elephant in the room, I have absolutely no idea why the hell they put Mark Ruffalo in this. He is neither French, nor German, and speaks with a terrible British accent. You could easily find a multi-lingual actor (Christoph Waltz as a popular example) who could easily take that same role and blow it out of the water. Instead we get a half-baked heartless performance from Ruffalo that probably cost them a large portion of their budget to bring on board.

This could've been an excellent series if they took the time to let it cook some more, had a few more episodes, and made some better casting decisions. Instead it sits, in my eyes, not nearing its full potential, despite some stellar performances from young actors and actresses, great cinematography, costuming, and location/environment shooting.

6/10 I lament what could've been an excellent unique period piece limited series.

In summary, this 4-episode series is a remarkable and highly-produced work that goes beyond the typical TV series. Created by renowned figures Steven Knight and Shawn Levy, it tells a unique perspective of the Nazi-occupied small town in France during a historical period. The plot primarily focuses on the search for a blind young woman who becomes a symbol of resistance during the war and a young Nazi who is forced to hunt her down. The series weaves two distinct life stories, the radio plays a central role in connecting both characters, serving as a bridge that links their lives and stories together. One set in the past with intricate subplots, leading up to the heart-wrenching war scenes in the present. What makes it exceptional is the fact that the lead actress is a real blind actress with no prior acting experience, and she delivers a natural and captivating performance. It's a series leaving a lasting impression and is definitely worth watching.