TV
All The Light We Cannot See Is Becoming A Visually Stunning Series On Netflix
The beautiful book is now a beautiful series.
Anthony Doerr’s award-winning war novel All The Light We Cannot See is coming to life in a four-part limited series on Netflix. Fans of the book, which was originally released in 2014 and went on to win a Pulitzer prize, have long been waiting to see the epic tale on screen. And the trailer alone tells us that this series will not disappoint.
All The Light We Cannot See follows two stories of endurance and kindness.
All The Light We Cannot See follows two protagonists, 12-year-old Marie-Laure and German orphan Werner Pfennig, as they try to survive World War II. Marie-Laure, who is blind, lives with her father in Paris close to the Museum of Natural History where he works. When the Nazis take over their occupation of Paris, Marie-Laure and her father flee to the walled city of St. Malo to live with her great-uncle by the sea, carrying a priceless (and dangerous) jewel in secret.
Werner Pfennig grew up with his sister in an orphanage in mining town in Germany, learning how to fix radios after spending his childhood listening to news of the outside world on one. During the war he is forced to use his talents fixing radios to aid the Nazis as they track down members of the Resistance, but this was not what kind Werner had in mind. And he struggles to find a way out of his impossible situation.
Watch the All The Light We Cannot See trailer now.
Netflix released the official full trailer for All The Light We Cannot See in October, and it looks both stunning and heartbreaking.
The trailer opens with Marie-Laure delivering a radio broadcast as the Nazis invade Paris, as she takes refuge with her father at her great-uncle’s house in St. Malo. “Ladies and gentlemen, before I begin my broadcast today, I have something to say,” she says. “In this time of darkness, of invading cities, I’m trying to remember light lasts forever, darkness last not even for one second when you turn on the light. I know that broadcasting could get my executed, but I will not be silenced. I hope you will tune in again tomorrow.”
We also see Werner, listening to Marie-Laure’s broadcasts and struggling as a talented young man, and expert radio repairman, who did not want to help the Nazis but was left with no choice. “The things I have seen haunt me, but her voice was my escape,” Werner says.
More than anything, the trailer shows the terror of World War II but also the beauty of human connection. And how it changed the course of both protagonists’ lives.
The All The Light We Cannot See cast features familiar faces.
All The Light We Cannot See is directed by Stranger Things producer Shawn Levy and written by Peaky Blinders director Steven Knight, and features an incredible cast:
- Aria Mia Loberti as older Marie-Laure LeBlanc
- Nell Sutton as younger Marie-Laure LeBlanc
- Mark Ruffalo as Daniel LeBlanc
- Hugh Laurie as Uncle Etienne
- Louis Hofmann as Werner
- Lars Eidinger as Von Rumpel
- Marion Bailey as Madame Manec
This is Aria Mia Loberti’s debut title, and she acknowledged how “honored” she felt to have been chosen in an Instagram post in December 2021 which read in part, “I am sensitive to the extent of this responsibility and what this character means for blind and disabled people, blind girls in particular. A blind lead portrayed by a blind actor. This is a significant leap forward for disability inclusion, rights, and representation on screen and beyond. I will never not feel the weight of that, and I will bear it proudly and use it as a catalyst for positive change, equity, and breaking down barriers.”
When does All The Light We Cannot See premiere?
The four-part series will premiere on Netflix on Nov. 2, 2023.
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