I remember first hearing about it this last year when it looked like it would be released in the heart of the Oscar contenders.

However, due to post production taking a year to develop, they pushed the release date to about 8 months.

I was honestly not interested in finding out what the story was. As soon as I saw Derek Cianfrance was directing, and Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz leading the cast, that was enough for me.

On face value, I can certainly see some people seeing this as 'Oscar bait'. But I truly felt afterwards that this deserves high praise and any awards nominations that it may get.
While elements of the film may fall under the category of a schmaltzy Nicholas Sparks feature. Director Derek Cianfrance had other sub-plots to work from the novel that I felt made this a much more believable story.

People who have seen Cianfrance's previous work such as Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond The Pines, know that he can get the best of his cast. This is most definitely no different.
Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are wonderful together, and you can see why this film brought them together in real life. I am a huge fan of both of them, and I am glad to see these big stars continue to show everyone their talent on-screen. Their chemistry is so strong and it sells the film superbly. Becoming a couple in real life has given this film more life then any other romance drama would normally have.
Rachel Weisz was a good support also, and did well with what she had as this film is eclipsed by Fassbender and Vikander.

But amazingly, not even Fassbender and Vikander could topple the real star of the film. The choice of landscape is stunning and the cinematography by Adam Arkapaw certainly makes the most of it, with many gorgeous images from start to finish that I would happily frame on my wall at home.

If nothing I said before indicated to you that this is a possible Oscar contender, then the choice of composer may confirm it for you. Alexander Desplat has created another hit with this particular score. He is certainly becoming the composer if you want your film to feature in the major awards season.

The only negative is the cliched moments. Those moments did down-grade fractions of the films overall strength.

A part of me was expecting a possible awards contender. But the other part was certainly thinking that this was made just to make Oscars and it would be a disappointment. Thankfully, it was the former. This really tugs at the heart strings. Yes, there may be some cliche moments. But the performances by Fassbender and Vikander, and the heart-breaking story made me totally invested in the story. They are a big draw and just made this viewing experience a pleasure to witness.

Rating: 8/10