Netflix has released a trailer for its upcoming miniseries based on Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel All the Light We Cannot See.
The novel, published in 2014 by Scribner, follows Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl living in France during World War II, and Werner Pfennig, a German radio operator who listens to Marie-Laure’s broadcasts. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “Doerr captures the sights and sounds of wartime and focuses, refreshingly, on the innate goodness of his major characters.”
Newcomer Aria Mia Loberti plays Marie-Laure in the four-episode series, while Werner is portrayed by Louis Hoffman (Dark).
The trailer—which features no dialogue and is also available in an audio-described version— opens with a shot of Loberti as Marie-Laure in front of a radio, then cuts to a similar shot of Hoffman as Werner. It continues with shots of Marie-Laure as a child, played by Nell Sutton, and her father, Daniel, played by Mark Ruffalo.
Other shots feature Hugh Laurie, who plays Marie-Laure’s great-uncle, Etienne; explosions on a city street; and Loberti and Ruffalo fishing. It ends with Loberti standing in front of a burning carousel, clasping an unknown hand.
All the Light We Cannot See is directed by Shawn Levy (Stranger Things) and written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders). Other cast members include Lars Eidinger (White Noise), Marion Bailey (Vera Drake), and Hélène Cardona (Chocolat). It is scheduled to premiere on Nov. 2.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
