by Jaimie Franz

Two weekends ago my parents took me out for a family day. Knowing that I desperately wanted to go see the movie The Light Between Oceans, my father proceeded to buy tickets for the afternoon showing. I was expecting the movie to tell the story of a couple who lived on a small island right outside of Maine and perform the duty of keeping carful watch over the light house. They sadly cannot conceive a child but find a child in a life boat that drifted onto the shore of their island. A few years later when visiting their families back on the mainland, they find their precious daughter’s biological mother and are conflicted about what to do with this information.

The movie actually consisted of the same premise but instead of simply adopting the child they found, they technically kidnapped the baby, never reporting their discovery of the child and pretending the woman gave birth to this sweet little baby girl. The movie was intense stress of trying to keep their secret and when it was finally out, it involved the pain of a young child torn away from her believed-parents and given to this strange woman, her biological mother.

I walked out of the theater with tears running down my face and the wish of avoiding that movie. I felt horrible that I pressured my parents to see it. Through a few days after the fact and some serious reflection, I acknowledged the benefits of the movie. The extravagant amount of love that the couple had for each other was unbelievable. The movie also taught a very important lesson of responsibility for one’s actions, hope, and perseverance. It was well-made and included some beautiful scenery. It was raw. Life is not perfect and this film included a happy ending. I would not strongly recommend this movie but it was definitely one to acknowledge.