It seems like one of those books that has always been around, however Light By writer/illustrator Annette Chapp Really popped up in 2017; Only one generation of children grew up with her. It has rarely been regarded as an instant classic: perhaps because it has reminded many generations of parents of the remarkable works of Paul Beagle (1925-2006), who has books such as Little captain It is included in the fictional canon. Schaap’s book about the exiled daughter of a lighthouse keeper who must find her way to her father has taken all the awards in the land of children’s books, and has been translated into many languages ​​and previously adapted into a theatrical piece.

Now there is an ambitious series LightBased on a screenplay by veteran Mieke de Jong (van Winter of war Even alone in the world) and director Margin Rogar. The series is a co-production of VPRO and Juliet V. Pupkin, a former Golden Calf Award winner Seven petty criminals made. The challenges of turning Schaap’s book into a reality-language television series, rather than, say, an animated production similar to Japanese studio Ghibli’s fantasy films (My neighbor Totoro), it was enormous.

First of all, the setting: a lighthouse ‘like a loose tooth on a string’ connected to the countryside and later the Black House, a dangerous place, until you get to know its inhabitants well, including the fish-tailed boy who lives in the attic. It eventually became a computer effects site, with the French slopes of Fécamp and two Belgian country houses in the background. Kudos to the makers who have turned this into a tangible realm.

incompetent

Lampe (convincingly portrayed by debutant Lotte Junker) is the story of a girl who has to find her own way, especially when her father, a lighthouse keeper, is locked in his tower after a shipwreck – because Lampe didn’t have any matches. buy light. The world an 11-year-old ends up in when she is forced to leave her father behind is populated by mythical creatures and fairground agents. Dim, as fairytales are, but toward the light, something we can all imagine this time of year.

LightThe chain should start. An emphatic voiceover is chosen, and then there’s the mother’s voice that sounds in Lambie’s head. This at first makes it difficult to identify Lambie herself and gives a number of scenes something illustrative rather than dramatic. But once the story begins and Lambie discovers the boy with a fishtail under the bed, the young actors get better scenes. Thus, in these dark days, Lambie became associated with Matilda and Yardai Addams (see Matilda, the musical And the Wednesdayboth on Netflix), the misfits who save themselves and ultimately the world.