tom_undeb

A truly remarkable book of nuance and humanity turned hammy blockbuster.

I'm a fan of director Shawn Levy's work on Stranger Things but he was the wrong choice for All the Light We Cannot See. The subject matter needed a director capable of capturing the truth of a scene but Levy's skills lie elsewhere. It's impressive in its scale but it ultimately leaves the viewer cold.

The script is stuffed with on the nose metaphors and misses the deeper context to the story. It dumps the more interesting aspects of the story for a the more suspenseful elements of the books and it is weaker for it.

A talented cast but for whatever reason, the acting is pantomime. The Nazi's in particular feel like something ripped out of an Indiana Jones film. And again, maybe that's Levy? His talents lie in the Spielberg-esque joy of filmmaking. That's why his work on Stranger Things is so brilliant. But All the Light We Cannot See required a director who understood that the story is about human connection in the face of suffering and not about explosions, villains and impressive crane and tracking shots.

So, so disappointing.

To caveat this, I'm not a Wrexham fan but I'm loving this documentary series. To my great surprise, Rob and Ryan are clearly invested in this club and Wales. They understand that culture is important but more importantly, that Welsh culture is different to that of England. I greatly appreciated their efforts to help the audience understand in greater context the club and the people who support it. I found it incredibly moving.

Wales is a somewhat insular county. We haven't forged ourself onto the world map like our cousins Ireland and Scotland. We are smaller and self deprecating. It is quiet incredible to witness an American and a Canadian with no prior attachment to Wales put this beautiful country country on the map with such pride. Thanks lads.