These days, with so much of what we watch on TV being dedicated to war coverage, you might not want to look for a written drama about war, even the long-ago World War II, or even a story based on the very acclaimed novel by Anthony Doerr. However, the recently released four-hour Netflix miniseries, All the Light We Cannot See, is encouraging and worthwhile. The word “Light” in the title alludes to hope amid the horror and gloom of war.
The story of All the Light We Cannot See is narrated from multiple points of view and in multiple time periods, building to a climax when everything is resolved inexplicably. Two young children, a German boy named Werner and a French girl named Marie-Laure, are the major protagonists. He is a master tinkerer who learns how to construct and fix all kinds of radios. In addition to being blind, she finds radio to be fascinating since she tunes in every night to a kid-focused shortwave show conducted by an enigmatic ham operator going by the name of the Professor.
The professor’s words of encouragement inspire Marie-Laure in Paris, and Werner, back in Germany, is similarly moved by them. Werner intercepts the same broadcasts from his orphanage prior to being compelled to serve the Nazis.
Older actors eventually assume the roles of these main characters. Now a teenager, Louis Hofmann portrays Werner, who has been trained by the Nazis and sent to track down unauthorized radio operators. And following the Nazi conquest, Marie-Laure, now portrayed by Aria Mia Loberti, leaves Paris on foot with her bags in tow. Her father Daniel, a museum director portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, is in charge of her and is sneaking out some priceless artifacts.
After a long trip as refugees, they arrive in the seaside village of Saint-Malo, where Hugh Laurie’s character, Marie-Laure’s uncle Etienne, is a part of the French resistance. Werner, the young Nazi, is eventually dispatched there to find unlicensed radio operators. Marie-Laure chooses to follow suit after learning the location of the hidden studio where the Professor used to transmit his boldly upbeat messages.
This puts Werner—whose troubled conscience is one of the best aspects of All the Light We Cannot See—as well as Marie-Laure’s father in danger as they are pursued by other Nazis. Although Laurie’s character, an agoraphobic war veteran, is also heartwarming, Loberti’s portrayal of Marie-Laure is the most poignant and compelling.
I was unaware that Loberti was legally blind until I finished watching all four hours of this Netflix drama. Like the young woman she plays, Loberti is also legally blind. This is her first professional acting role. I continue to be astounded by how confidently and skillfully this relative newbie handles the responsibility of her major part. When they cast this remarkable unknown, co-creators Shawn Levy and Steven Knight—who also directed and scripted the miniseries—did more than just fill a challenging role. They also stumbled onto a fresh, gifted performer.