In All the Light We Cannot See, Etienne LeBlanc turns out to be the man Marie and Werner grew up admiring. Hugh Laurie plays Uncle Etienne.
When the Nazis invade Paris, Daniel sends the museum jewels to Geneva and leaves the city with his daughter because he knows that the Germans will try to capture him in order to find the jewels.
He takes Marie to Saint-Malo to live with his uncle, Etienne. The moment Marie meets him, she recognizes him as the man who has been giving her, as well as several other children like her, hope for years now.
Etienne’s past demons
Etienne is a war hero who has won several medals. He threw his medals into the ocean because the war changed him. The atrocities that he witnessed haunt him even today.
Loud noises startle him and bring back memories that he does not want to remember. That is why he does not step out of the house or go to the beach. It has been 20 years since he returned home from the war, but he has yet to overcome his fears.
Etienne stays in the attic all day with his radio. He is the Professor whose broadcasts young people like Marie and Werner have been listening to since they were children.
The Professor tells children facts and truths about the world and preaches peace, even though broadcasting is punishable by death. When Marie meets Etienne, she instantly recognizes him as the Professor. She has grown up learning from him and admiring him, but Etienne no longer uses his radio to teach children.
Since the Germans came, Etienne has started using his radio to send the information collected by the Resistance to London in codes and ciphers. He is doing his best to help his country without stepping out of the house.
Overcoming his fears
Etienne’s sister, Madam Manec, lives with him and gives him the information that needs to be sent to London, as she is a member of the Resistance. After Daniel leaves for Paris, Madam Manec is asked by the doctor to rest, as anxiety could be dangerous for her weak heart.
When Etienne finds out that the Americans are coming to free France, he decides to do the Resistance’s work in his sister’s place. Marie is the one person who keeps insisting that Etienne move on from the past and learn to live his life again.
As Etienne is finally ready to let go of the past, he takes Marie’s help and steps out of the house with her support. Etienne and Marie start working for the Resistance, and Madam Manec passes away, knowing that her brother will be fine now.
When the Germans find out about Etienne working for the Resistance, he stops coming home, as he does not want to put Marie in danger. Marie starts broadcasting in his place. She talks about reason and literature, the way Etienne did, and reads books on the radio to send coded messages to the Allies.
Etienne continues protecting Marie and meets with her secretly. While protecting her, he comes across Werner. Etienne gives the young soldier a chance to tell him why he killed his commanding officer to protect Marie.
After hearing his story, Etienne decides that Werner can be trusted. He tries to save him from the other members of the Resistance. At that moment, a bomb kills Etienne, who spends his last moments on earth asking Werner to protect Marie until the Americans free the city.
He leaves a message for Marie to let her know that she freed him and that he is happier dead than in a cage. He asks Werner to thank Marie on his behalf and dies a free man.
Also Read: Daniel LeBlanc: All the Light We Cannot See character explained
