Human connection as a beacon of hope
Review of "All the Light We Cannot See" on Netflix.
Light can be understood in the physical sense as the radiation of energy in our surroundings. It enables sight. Light also symbolizes goodness and hope as opposed to darkness. To Christian believers, light has a rich theological depth because it reveals both the illumination of God and the inner God-like attributes of human beings. Just as external sources of light can expel darkness, a person’s manifested holiness can become a beacon of hope for the people around them.
The title of the four-part Netflix series All the Light We Cannot See captures the historical and theological depths of the story. It depicts how a young French girl who was born without sight becomes a source of light for everyone around her. Adapted from a Pulitzer-winning novel by Anthony Doerr, the story is set against the backdrop of World War II when Hitler’s defeat was nearing in 1944. The lives of these four main characters intersect during the bombing of a German-occupied town in France.
Daniel LeBlanc (played by Mark Ruffalo), who works at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, teaches his blind daughter Marie how to “see” the world and navigate their neighbourhood independently. He even builds a scale model for Marie’s fingers to “step out” into these surroundings. Another person of significance to Marie’s life is a radio broadcaster on shortwave 13.10. As a child, Marie begins a habit of listening to a professor explain science with great philosophical depth.
When the German occupation of Paris becomes a reality, Daniel takes Marie and they flee to relatives who live in the seaside town of Saint-Malo. Once settled down in Saint-Malo, Daniel again builds another scale model of this new neighbourhood for Marie to learn. In this new home, Marie soon discovers that Uncle Etienne (played by Hugh Laurie), a former soldier suffering from PTSD from the war and now a hermit in his attic, is the professor broadcasting through shortwave 13.10.
A German orphan named Werner (played by Louis Hofmann) is among the many children who grow up listening to 13.10. Due to his extraordinary mechanical skills, young Werner is recruited by a Nazi training school against his will. When witnessing the brutality of the system, Werner also finds solace in listening to shortwave 13.10. Years later, Werner is deployed to Saint-Malo to help German troops find radio transmission of the resistance. By then, Marie has become the broadcasting voice on shortwave 13.10. Marie’s voice becomes a beacon of hope for Werner.
Through many flashback moments of each character’s life, this complex narrative carries deep messages of hope and human connections. As Etienne the professor says: “The most important light is the light you do not see.” Hope in a dark world can be intangible but persistent. The human longing for significance and hope in this broken world is due to God’s intention for the world to be not so broken.
The title of this series can also bring to mind powerful theological observations and reflections on light. St. Augustine, for example, often used light as a metaphor for God’s illumination of the human soul and the revelation of divine truth. Another World War II radio broadcaster, C.S. Lewis, also incorporated themes of light and darkness in his theological works. In this Netflix series, the power of a blind girl Marie’s inner light changes everyone around her, including her father, Uncle Etienne and the German solder, Werner.
Shawn Levy, the director of this series, has talked about how he intentionally sought after a blind young woman for the role of teenage Marie and found Aria Mia Loberti. It is also significant that both actors who play Marie are legally blind, making this project the first one in its genre to cast blind actors in leading roles. This level of inclusion and diversity is worth celebrating and I think it is one of several elements that make this series worth seeing.
This is a very fine, perceptive review, linking historic theological/biblical themes with a stirring piece of literature. I am always impressed when authors write Christian novels–as *All the Light We Cannot See*–without mentioning Jesus, who is nevertheles the Source of all Light. If we have eyes to see the unseen, such writers do help immensely to sharpen our spiritual sight and recognize God’s work in powerful, challenging, not always happy pieces of literary art. Thank you very much.