On Nov. 2. Netflix released the highly anticipated four-episode mini-series of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “All The Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. With dramatic cinematography and a message of hope and resistance “All The Light We Cannot See” was a series that kept you on edge; however, it is not a show without faults.
The story follows the perspectives of a young blind French teenager Marie-Laure and a young Nazi radio technician Werner Pfennig during the events of World War II in the Nazi-occupied French town of Saint-Malo. Marie-Laure, who fled Paris with her father, delivers coded radio messages to the Allied bombing powers. Werner finds himself listening to her broadcast every night even though his job is to track her down and kill her. An anonymous broadcaster connects both characters together called the Professor. He offers wisdom through his words, his most famous being, “The most important light in the world is the light you cannot see,” which becomes a recurring message throughout the story.
From the start of the mini-series everything from the settings to the suspense was captivating. There is no denying that the show was a carefully thought-out process. A fundamental aspect of the show overall was the disability representation with both the present and younger versions of Marie-Laure being portrayed by visually impaired people. I thought that it was a good part of the casting crew and the director pushing for representation as it contributed to the overall story accurately.
However, when it comes to the parts that were lacking there were many moments throughout the series where something felt missing in terms of narrative, pacing, and even detail that gives a show a particular feeling or mood. There were moments where relationships did not feel authentic, or it felt superficial or overly trying to showcase the universal message of the story when it already seemed very obvious. Perhaps that had to do a lot with the fact that the series was only four episodes.
Overall, what held the story together for me was suspenseful, dramatic, and even at times the emotional portrayal of what many people went through during World War II. When it comes to capturing the essence of Doerr’s story I am not sure the show achieved that purpose in terms of depth and storytelling. However, if you are someone who enjoys a good melodrama and World War II cinema then this series is definitely a good one to curl up and binge-watch, maybe to shed a few tears as well.
