The Lighthouse (2019)

8.3 /10

Directed by: Robert Eggers

Written by: Robert Eggers, Max Eggers

Star Cast: Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Valeriia Karamän

Running time: 110 minutes
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Drama

In the late 19th Century, two men arrive at a lighthouse on an isolated Island. Thomas Wake played by Dafoe is senior to Ephraim Winslow played by Pattinson. Wake from the first day clearly mentioned Winslow whom he refers to as "lad" that Winslow has to take care of daily duties and he himself is going to handle the light post.

As Winslow is not allowed to go to the top of the lighthouse, he soon gets obsessed with the lighthouse. From the starting of the movie both of them don't like each other and one doesn't even trust the other. There isn't any bonding between them but they don't even have any choice. So they share a bedroom, they have their dinner together and even dance together. As time passes the story becomes more and more wilder.

The Lighthouse is a multi-dimensional story. One can draw more than one conclusion from the movie. In one way, this movie is about remorse and inner sins. In another way, it's all about the human mind playing the game and presenting illusions. In another way, it's about the dark secrets people hold in the real world and about the fundamental human values.

Whatever one concludes from the movie, one thing is for sure that this movie isn't easy to watch. It's visually disturbing, dark and challenging. It is violent and terrifying. Dafoe and Pattinson have given marvelous performances. I don't remember Pattinson has given such kind of performance in the past. His work is truly remarkable and is his best in his acting career.

Director Robert Eggers, like his previous film "The Witch (2015)", this time also, perfectly combines the isolation, madness, and darkness. He's truly talented and surely knows how to hold the perfect nerve of the viewers. The movie is shot in black-and-white with a 1.19:1 aspect ratio. The way the movie was shot and the scenes were captured is mind-blowing.

Sound effects play a vital role. The continuous sound of the lighthouse siren was terrifying. It suits the dark theme of the film. The sound department has done an excellent job.

Cinematography is extraordinary. From wide-angle shots of the island to the one-eyed sea bird, everything specifically targets the attention of the viewer. The director himself had stated that this movie takes inspiration from lots of sources.

Both Wake and Winslow have their own secrets. Maybe they represent the two faces of the same coin. At one place Winslow even say to Thomas Wake(Tom) that his real name is Tommy, not Ephraim. In an interview Director Eggers reveals that everything he writes is "Jungian-inclined" meaning he's working with symbols and archetypes that are part of the collective unconscious.

Another conclusion we might take is that Winslow is running from his past and that's why he took this job on an isolated island. There are chances that Wake killed his previous partner and made up a story that he got mad before dying. That's why from starting he's trying to take over the control of Winslow.

We can't ignore the possibility that there might be something unusual about the island. Or all this can be just Winslow's imagination. May be his actions in the past made him so much paranoid. May this all is because of loneliness he's facing which made him fantasizing about the things. Throughout the film, he's constantly fighting against the deadly forces of nature.

Overall The Lighthouse is an excellent multi-dimensional film. If you like to watch movies like The Enemy(2013) or The Witch(2015), then you are definitely going to enjoy this film. Otherwise, this movie can be a nightmare for you, because movies like this aren't everyone's cup of tea.