The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr took readers on a compelling journey through the tumultuous era of World War II, presenting the narrative from two distinct perspectives. However, the Netflix adaptation, bearing the same title, falls short of faithfully rendering the story.
The Netflix series compresses the dual viewpoints into a single mini-series, resulting in a condensed version of Doerr's narrative. This transformation turns the emotionally-charged tale into more of a spectacle, failing to delve into the nuanced experiences of the characters. Marie-Laure LeBlanc, portrayed by Aria Mia Loberti, is a young girl hailing from Paris, who loses her sight and is compelled to flee her home alongside her father Daniel, played by Mark Ruffalo. Their relocation to the French countryside with Daniel's great uncle Etienne, portrayed by Hugh Laurie, leads them into the heart of the resistance movement.
While the novel encompasses all of these events, it interweaves them with the tales of Daniel and Marie-Laure's life in Paris, as well as Werner's upbringing as an orphan and his coerced involvement with the Nazis at the Berlin academy, utilizing his radio expertise. However, in the adaptation, the essence of "All the Light We Cannot See" is compressed into brief scenes and fleeting moments. This essence becomes overshadowed by the focus on the novel's climactic action and suspense, resulting in the show being a condensed four-part mini-series primarily centered around these final moments. As a result, the viewer may find it challenging to form a strong emotional connection with the characters, aside from Marie-Laure and her relationship with the radio.
Although the book employs a similar non-linear storytelling technique as the show, it grants us more extensive moments with both Werner and Marie-Laure. In contrast, the show predominantly centers around Marie-Laure, and while I hold that portrayal dear, it means that there are instances where Werner's character doesn't resonate with the audience as strongly.
I find it harder to empathize with his attempts to aid Marie-Laure because he remains a Nazi soldier. The show takes a longer time to reveal how he is coerced into this world and how much of his life is beyond his control. It also inadequately emphasizes his resistance against it.
We are only provided with fleeting glimpses of Marie-Laure's life in Paris and the development of her relationships with her father and Etienne after their move to Saint-Malo. However, the show does have its commendable moments, with Loberti's portrayal of Marie-Laure being particularly captivating throughout the series.
Marie-Laure's house features a beautiful wooden scale model of the city, meticulously crafted by Daniel when they initially settled there, to assist her in navigating independently. This model grants Marie a visual understanding of Saint-Malo, akin to how radio stories aim to evoke mental images of what we can only hear. However, despite "All the Light We Cannot See" possessing the capability to visually depict everything, it falls short in delivering sufficient gripping drama to complement its aesthetically pleasing imagery.
