There’s a new mini-series on Netflix about a young blind girl and a German orphan, called All the Light We Cannot See. It’s based on a phenomenal book by the same name by novelist Anthony Doerr, who won the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 2015.
The four-part miniseries takes place in World War II-era Occupied France, and follows two main characters: A boy who joins Hitler’s army, and a young blind girl who’s trapped in a seaside town during an aerial bombardment. The story follows these two from youth to adulthood, until they finally cross paths.
It’s directed by Shawn Levy, who said he didn’t want to do a page-by-page adaptation, but something that captures the “heart of the story.” The book, while featuring short paragraphs, is still very long and full of so much detail that a directict adaptation would probably take much more than four episodes. He said:
“The book is the mountain. The mountain will always exist. Long after us, the mountain will be here. We did a painting of that mountain. We’re not trying to replace it. We’re not trying to make a photograph or a Xerox. It’s our impression of that mountain.”
Shawn Levy, by the way, is partly responsible for a plethora of well-known properties, like Stranger Things, the Night at the Museum franchise, Arrival and many more. So what’s it about?
What is All the Light We Cannot See about?
All the Light We Cannot See is about two teenagers during WWII. One is a blind girl named Marie-Laure LeBlanc, who had an idyllic life with her father, a locksmith for a museum. The other is a blond haired German boy named Werner Pfennig.
Marie-Laure flees the war and ends up living with her uncle in a coastal town in France, who broadcasts secretly from the house. Werner, who’s a genius with radios, is part of a group of soldiers who track down illegal broadcasts.
It plays over several different time periods and eras, and it’s a sprawling tale with delightful pacing and and ancillary characters.
Who stars in All the Light We Cannot See?
Blind girl Marie-Laure is played by newcomer Aria Mia Loberti. Levy said he held a global casting search to find the right actress to portray the blind character. He wanted a blind actress, and said “It’s not like the talent agencies have filled their rosters with actors who are blind; it’s not a big pool.” Loberti heard about the casting and filmed a self tape.
“I just did a tape in my bedroom because I was having a rough couple of months, and I wanted to do something that sounded fun and different. I never really thought anyone would see it. When I got the call back the day after I sent in my tape, I was really surprised. And then after that, I got the call to meet with Shawn for the first time. It never dawned on me that I was ever going to get the part or that I was ever in contention for it.”
German boy/soldier Werner is played by Louis Hofmann. Marie-Laure’s father is played by Mark Ruffalo, her uncle Etienne is played by Etienne LeBlanc, and the cast is rounded out by Lars Eidinger, Nell Sutton, Marion Bailey and Andrea Deck.
All the Light We Cannot See is currently streaming on Netflix.