Where Was The Light Between Oceans Filmed? David Cianfrance’s Enthralling Romantic Drama Film!

You’ve seen Michael Fassbender in a number of crime drama and sci-fi action films. But have you watched him in a romantic drama film? Well, if you have, I bet you’ve watched The Light Between Oceans (2016). In this article, I’ll discuss the movie and tell you where was The Light Between Oceans filmed. The romantic drama film follows a married couple desperate to have a baby. Everything changes for them when an infant washes up on shore in a small boat.

Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are the protagonists in the film. The other important characters are played by Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, and Caren Pistorius. Fassbender is a two-time Academy Award-nominated actor who was declared one of Ireland’s greatest film actors by The Irish Times. He has worked with top filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott, and Steve McQueen. 

On the other hand, Alicia Vikander, the Oscar-winning Swedish actor, rose to fame after playing the role of Gerda Wegener in Tom Hooper’s biographical romantic drama film The Danish Girl. 

Now let me clear your doubt regarding where was The Light Between Oceans filmed. The romantic drama movie was filmed in New Zealand.

Directed by Derek Cianfrance, The Light Between Oceans premiered at the Venice International Film Festival on 1 September 2016, followed by its wide release in America on 2 September 2016. The romantic drama film is a DreamWorks Pictures production and was distributed internationally and in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. However, let’s learn more about the filming locations without wasting any more time.

Where Was The Light Between Oceans Filmed? Let’s Check Out The Spots!

Derek Cianfrance’s The Light Between Oceans garnered mixed responses from critics. The movie did not do great at the box office, as it only earned $26 million against a production budget of $20 million. On 27th November 2012, DreamWorks obtained the rights to the novel and approached Cianfrance to direct the film at the behest of senior filmmaker Steven Spielberg. In September 2013, Cianfrance finally came on board as the director, along with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander as the lead actors.

The romantic drama movie received a rating of 7.2 on IMDb and a score of 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, let’s move on and get into the details of where The Light Between Oceans was filmed.

New Zealand

Principal photography of the romantic drama film The Light Between Oceans began in September 2014 and was wrapped up by November 2014. The majority of filming took place in New Zealand. Only a handful of scenes were shot in Australia. 

The production team shot several important scenes in the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. The cast and crew set up camp in Port Chalmers. Filming also took place in the Otago Peninsula and in the town of St Bathans, formerly Dunstan Creek.

The lighthouse scenes were filmed at the Cape Campbell Lighthouse in the region of Marlborough. The production team moved around quite a bit, filming at various locations across Dunedin. A number of scenes were filmed at the Dunedin Prison and on Stuart Street, one of the city’s main streets. A couple of sequences were filmed in South Canterbury as well. After filming was done in New Zealand, the cast and crew moved to Australia to shoot some of the scenes in Stanley, Tasmania.

Plot Of The Light Between Oceans (2016) | When Fate Intervenes!

The Light Between Oceans story revolves around Thomas Sherbourne, played by Michael Fassbender. Thomas is a war veteran who fought in the First World War. After suffering from PTSD, he manages to get a job as a lighthouse keeper at Janus Rock. He comes across a local girl, Isabel Graysmark, played by Alicia Vikander, and eventually falls in love with her.

Soon, Thomas and Isabel marry each other and live off the coast of Western Australia. After having two miscarriages, she loses hope and starts to wonder that she might never become a mother. One fine day, things take a different turn when an infant washes up on shore in a small boat. At first, Thomas thinks they should inform the concerned authorities, but Isabel insists they keep the baby. 

Everything changes for them when they come across the baby’s biological mother. Now, Thomas and Isabel must make the right decision.

Final Words

I know that New Zealand is a far-off country, and in order to go there, you need to make a proper plan beforehand. However, you have plenty of time to figure it out. So take your time and plan a trip soon to visit the beautiful island country. The Light Between Oceans is a PG-13-rated film containing some sexual content and thematic material. If you enjoyed reading the article, then keep on visiting the Oldflamescandles website.