‘All the Light We Cannot See’ Review: Netflix Limited Series Fails to Capture Pulitzer-Winning Novel’s Essence

Despite a winning lead performance by newcomer Aria Mia Loberti, the four-part show based on Anthony Doerr’s 2014 book is overly broad and mostly bad

Aria Mia Loberti in "All the Light We Cannot See" (Netflix)
Aria Mia Loberti in "All the Light We Cannot See" (Netflix)

Were one to go into “All the Light We Cannot See” totally cold — drawn to the four-part limited series, say, purely by its placement atop Netflix’s home page — it would be impossible to discern that it was based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel celebrated for its lyricism and profundity.

The dialogue here is pedestrian. The lead character, blind French teenager Marie-Laure LeBlanc (screen newcomer Aria Mia Loberti), escapes the German invasion of Paris in World War II with her father, Daniel (Mark Ruffalo). They seek refuge in the French port city of Saint-Malo. Yet throughout the journey, and the limited series, our Gallic heroine and Papa LeBlanc speak English with British accents.

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