“Damn ye! Let Neptune strike ye dead, Winslow!” - Thomas Wake
The Lighthouse is a film that is part psychological horror, part thriller, and part dark comedy. It is directed by Robert Eggers, director of the 2016 horror film The Witch. The film stars Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as two lighthouse keepers during the late nineteenth century who start showing signs of insanity after a storm causes the pair to become stranded at the lighthouse.
The Lighthouse was a film that I had been anticipating greatly, and I have to say, it didn’t give me what I was expecting to see. Is that a bad thing? In this case, not in the slightest. It’s a film that can be very hard to follow at times, but because of its nature, I didn’t find myself caring about that at all. I was perfectly open to going wherever the film decided to take me, even if I didn’t fully understand what was going on at the moment.
The Lighthouse is a film that doesn’t give you many concrete answers. It’s not a film that holds your hand and says, “This is what that scene is supposed to mean.” This is a very confusing film, and it’s one that some people will be very disappointed with, because it doesn’t just give you everything you want to know. I, however, was not disappointed at all. I think that because the film has so many interesting visuals, sounds, ideas, and scenarios to offer, it allows you to formulate your own interpretations as to what the film means. Similar to the 1977 film Eraserhead or the 1929 film Un Chien Andalou, The Lighthouse is a film that means whatever you think it means, or whatever you want it to mean. I personally think that there was a lot in the film that had to do with Greek mythology, especially dealing with a particular myth that I will leave unnamed for fear of spoiling your experience with the film. I also think that there is an element of magic or witchcraft that is not explicitly shown in the film. But I challenge you to come up with your own opinions on what the film means to you.
On a technical note, this is easily the most beautiful looking film I have seen so far this year, and I would be very surprised if a film comes out later this year that is shot better than this one. I thought that Joker was well shot. I thought El Camino was also very well shot. The Lighthouse takes those two films and blows them both out of the water. The film is a visual masterpiece, and each and every haunting frame made my heart ache because of how gorgeous it was to behold. The camera movements are graceful, and the lingering shots of the crashing waves are incredibly intense. The lighting is also remarkable, and adds so much depth to the two character’s facial expressions, which I loved.
The film is shot in black and white, and uses a 1.19:1 aspect ratio. Both of these choices fit remarkably well with not only the story and the tone of the film, but also the characters and the setting. Allow me to explain what I mean by this. The fact that the film is black and white matches with the moral grayness of the characters, and the tight aspect ratio is very confining and claustrophobic, not at all unlike the lighthouse where Pattinson and Dafoe are stranded.
Speaking of Pattinson and Dafoe, both of their performances are magnificent, and it’s incredibly difficult to imagine anyone else as these characters. Dafoe plays Thomas Wake, someone that comes to mind when I think of a stereotypical pirate type character. He is basically a caricature, or parody of a nineteenth century seaman. You might think “That could never work in a serious film.” You would be wrong. It totally does, and the effort that Dafoe goes to makes it feel like he is no longer Willem Dafoe, but Thomas Wake instead. Pattinson is equally good as Ephraim Winslow, Wake’s new assistant lighthouse keeper. He shows so much emotion as this character, and he really gives his all. I was floored by the lengths that Pattinson went to in portraying Winslow, and am absolutely amazed at how far his acting career has come.
I also thought that the script was very well written, and the dialogue was riveting, and often quite hilarious as well. That’s another thing I have to commend this film on. It made me laugh many, many times. Its sense of humor is hysterical, and the film manages to find a way to fit in tons of funny moments while also maintaining a sense of claustrophobic dread.
The score is beautiful, and the sound quality is incredible as well. The sound design is absolutely chilling, and my favorite example of this is during a scene towards the end involving one of the characters screaming continuously. This scene chilled me to the bone, and that’s mainly due to the sound design.
This is a technically flawless film, and I can’t really find anything wrong with this movie. It’s one that I want to rewatch at least a couple more times, and one that I think I would also greatly benefit from rewatching, and studying. This is a film that will inspire many debates among film nerds like myself, and I loved hearing the opinions of my friends, and contrasting them to my own.
There is a difference between a film being the best, and being someone’s personal favorite. This is objectively the best film I have seen all year so far, which is why I am giving it the grade I am, although I’m still trying to decide whether it’s my favorite of the year up to this point. I can definitely say that it’s in my top two favorite films of the year, although I’m just not sure if it’s my number one. Only time will tell! I will say this: The Lighthouse is absolutely a film that can’t be missed, and one that everyone will get something different out of. Don’t do yourself the disservice of skipping this one.
Rating: R
Grade: A+
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