The Lighthouse (2019) directed by Robert Eggers

Synopsis: (From IMDB) The hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

My Thoughts:
I just have to say that I’m so glad I finally got to see this movie. I’ve been chomping at the bit for it since the first time I heard mention of it. And then the teasers started showing up – they about killed me. I seriously haven’t shut up about this movie for what feels like years. AND I FINALLY GOT TO SEE IT!

I’m going to try my damnedest to not spoil anything for you, because I wish that I had been able to see it before the internet did everything in its power to ensure that no shocking element remained a mystery to anyone no matter how much they wanted it to. So, if you haven’t had all the magic spoiled for you via article titles or blurbs (seriously, what the fuck, internet?), you’re in good hands. This movie deserves to be experienced all in one good, fucked up go.

So – to begin, I want to give you a couple of “warnings” (I mean they aren’t really warnings, but… like, I don’t know… I just want to speak some shit at you so you know what you’re in for. Wait, that’s still a warning, isn’t it? – please disregard) so you know what’s what:

• the movie really is entirely black and white
• it is shot in square silent film aspect ratio – 1.19:1, apparently (I looked this up – I took some film courses in school, but I don’t know shit about any of this stuff).
• It is Arthouse, so if you can’t handle the art, stay out of the house or whatever.

Now that I’ve got all that out of the way, I just want to state for the record: I LOVED THIS MOVIE. I HOLY-CRAP-I-CAN’T-BELIEVE-HOW-MUCH-I-LOVED-THIS-MOVIE LOVED THIS MOVIE. Robert Eggers is fast becoming one of my favorite directors. He has the type of vision that I think is going to carry him into a long and prosperous career. He is cranking out the kind of material (between this and The Witch, which are all I’ve seen from him so far) that I think is going to be inspiring future filmmakers for years to come. I mean, between these too and just the very spare premise of his upcoming project, The Northman, I am, in the parlance of the internet, deceased.

The cinematography was done by Jarin Blaschke, who if you’re keeping track is also responsible for the beautiful camera work in The Witch. This dude is also somebody to look out for. This movie is shot beautifully – some of the shots were so perfectly composed that even my little cinematographically-pea-brained little head could do nothing more than stare in wonder. It’s shot like a moving art exhibit – the shots are almost entirely claustrophobic. Even when the shot is sweeping, they kind of feel like they’re crushing you.

So as you would imagine of a movie that comprises of two men isolated in a geographically tight space under harsh conditions, this movie is REALLY uncomfortable. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson play perfectly off each other – the tension between the two is so tight it’s palpable, even when they seem to be getting along. Pattinson’s pure, unadulterated belligerence as Ephraim Winslow is truly incredible – I never thought I’d like the sparkly vampire man, but dammit all, I really do – he’s incredible here, at least. And Dafoe is…Dafoe. He’s a force of nature. That man never ceases to amaze me. He’s no different as the grizzly, Ahab-esque lighthouse keeper Thomas Wake.

The Lighthouse is filled with ambiguity, which I think adds to its discomfort. You’re not going to leave this one feeling like you know exactly what was going on or why. And I think that’s where its real power resides: this movie is a real thinker. I left the theater thinking, I’m not really sure what I just saw, but it was amazing. And I want to see it again. I will now spend the next several months talking non-stop about how much I want to own it.

Rating: