Michael Fassbender has said that he found the subject matter of miscarriage in his new movie, The Light Between Oceans, "a little taboo" but added that it was important that the story was told.
"To suffer from so many miscarriages: this is a subject I feel is a little bit taboo, but you start talking to people and there are so many people affected. It seemed like a very common human tragedy." the actor told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Set in a remote but beautiful part of Western Australia after the end of the First World War, The Light Between Oceans stars Fassbender as the lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne, who returns from the trenches bearing a trauma which has rendered him a largely silent man.
In the movie, it’s love at first sight when he claps eyes on Isabel, the daughter of a local school-teacher who is played by Fassbender's partner, Swedish actress Alicia Vikander.
The pair marry and settle at the lighthouse station, some miles out at sea, a posting which comes with its own adjacent living quarters.
Read our review of The Light Between Oceans here.
However, Isabel's two miscarriages lead to severe stress and strain between the couple. When a boat washes up with a dead man and a living baby on board, Isabel persuades her husband to bury the unknown man and claim the child for their own.
Fassbender's romance with Vikander blossomed during the making of their new film together
Fassbender defends Tom's actions. "He's an honourable man," says the actor. "He's got dignity and stoicism and principles, if there were more people like him in the world, it would be a better place. The fact is that there is no villain and no hero, it's just you know, people trying to navigate life as everybody does."
Tom Cairncarn directed and wrote the screenplay, basing it on ML Stedman’s debut novel of the same name. The book was long-listed for the International Dublin Literary Award 2014 (formerly the IMPAC award).
Speaking on The Ryan Tubridy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 recently, Fassbender described his movie life as 'incredible' and spoke about his blossoming relationship with his co-star Vikander, which developed during filming of the new movie.
