"The Lighthouse" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

In what continues to be an intriguing modern-day horror landscape, Robert Eggers has quickly made himself a name to be watched out for. Though I wasn't entirely fond of "The Witch" on my first watch, I think I've come to appreciate it a lot more. Now, I probably lean more towards liking it rather than being mixed on it. The movie had some truly unsettling moments, and proved that Eggers could get standout performances from his cast- Anya Taylor-Joy being the most obvious example of this. I have been interested to see what his next outing would be. Now it's here, and it's in "The Lighthouse". This film centers solely on two lighthouse keepers named Thomas and Winslow. Winslow seems to be on the run from something, and so has decided to work for the elderly and somewhat weird Thomas. Winslow soon discovers that there seems to be more than meets the eye on this island he's at, and the lighthouse itself has a mysterious allure.

This movie is one of the most enthralling viewing experiences I've had all year. Pretty much everything is done right here. One of the most unique things about this movie is that it's filmed in black and white. This choice turns out to be a very inspired one, as this film does have a very old timey feel to it, almost as if you're discovering a relic from an age long since past. The movie is also paced like an older film would be, having a steady slow burn feel to it that really made me more intrigued to know what was going on as more time passed. There's hardly ever a time watching this movie when I was bored. Even the parts that do seem somewhat tedious at the beginning of the film suddenly begin to have a purpose once you realize what's going on. The usage of black and white also helps with some of the coolest looking shots I've seen this year. The lighting in this film is almost a personality of its own, as it can create the mood of a scene without the characters having to say a word. Atmosphere in this movie was absolutely key for it needing to work, as the scares here almost solely come from the implications of presences rather than physical scares. There's not a single jump scare in this film, and yet it manages to be scarier than any of this year's jump scare fests, like "Eli" or "Brightburn". Eggers has an almost unsettling grasp on what it means to make a scare work on the screen. There are moments in this film that are legitimately white knuckled. Another great aspect of the movie is the way the sound works. This movie thrives on silence in many moments, so when noises come into the picture, you know you'd better pay attention. I appreciate that the movie uses almost entirely natural noises that would come from a ship, which helps create the sea-faring world these two characters live in. The noises of the film almost create their own unique musical score, albeit a thoroughly cacophonous and eerie one. The production value in this film is startling in a lot of places, like the way that lighting creates otherworldly shadows, or the way that a shot keeps all the action going on right in front of you.

As my frequent readers probably know by now, I am a sucker for consistent and compelling thematic arcs. "The Lighthouse" has them in abundance. Probably the easiest one to identify is how isolation brings out our true selves, often to frightening degrees. As is shown through both the characters of Winslow and Thomas, in critically isolated situations we will turn to our baser natures and only care about surviving. There is, of course, the question of how much the island has to do with the characters going crazy. I would say that it's up to your interpretation on this level. You can see the island as a place where characters literally face their demons, or maybe it's a more metaphorical location. I like that Eggers doesn't give us the direct answer. It sort of cleverly puts us in the same place as our protagonist, wanting to get answers from the lighthouse but always being an arm's length away. The film doesn't leave you unsatisfied with the way it answers its main thematic arc in my opinion, as I left this film feeling like I got a real sense of closure. It was an unsettling closure, to be sure, but it was a good kind of unsettling. The other main theme, to me, seems to be the way guilt of past transgressions affects our actions in the present. Getting into this too much would be delving into spoilers, but I will say that the way the film presents this is very smart and unique. I haven't quite seen this theme shown in the way this film does before.

There are only two performances in this film, and man both of them are stellar. Anyone who still thinks Robert Pattinson would not be a good Batman at this point is a moron. For as much as I loved his performance in "Good Time" (and in "High Life" more recently), his turn here as Winslow might be his best yet. This character is endlessly great to watch, as Pattinson does masterful work at revealing more and more layers to him.  There are points when he has to take some significant acting risks, and they pretty much always pay off. There's never a point when his performance is too silly or too over the top; rather, it's always appropriate for the tone that the film is going for. There's a particularly unforgettable moment from him near the end of the film that gave me cold chills. I think Pattinson is showing himself to be one of the best modern-day actors out there, and if he keeps at it, he could become an all-time best later on down the road. And yet, for as much as I love Pattinson in this film, it's Willem Dafoe who turns out to be my favorite. He basically disappears into the character of Thomas. He embodies the mysterious, elderly sailor, who may or may not be hiding an inner darkness. Every single line in this movie Dafoe delivers with absolute conviction. I particularly love when he's telling these nautical fairy tales that may or may not be real. The way he tells the stories makes you sit up in your seat, and makes you disappointed once he's done. Some of his lines here he delivers with a real sense of Shakespearian believability, making this a character that is impossible not to be enraptured by. I appreciate that the movie makes him both accessible and mysterious, a character of contradictions. Dafoe nails Thomas's clashing qualities to an impressive degree. The way Dafoe and Pattinson work off each other is incredible. The chemistry the two have together is unique, and you really begin to understand their relationship in an intimate way. I appreciate that Eggers really let his two actors live in this world; you can tell that they are both dedicated to making their characters as realistic as possible. If Dafoe or Pattinson doesn't at least get an Oscar nomination, I will be very upset.

There aren't too many real weaknesses for the movie. I suppose that in the beginning, this movie does take a while to really get its wheels turning. Like I mentioned earlier, I do understand why the movie had a slow start, but for some, I could see this as an easy way for them to lose interest in the movie early on. This is the only issue I had with the film, and it's honestly a nitpick more than anything else. "The Lighthouse" is an undeniably excellent horror movie. It could rank up there with the best of them in future, and it could even be considered a masterpiece in general. I'm not sure I could make that statement definitively yet, but this movie really left an impression on me. I promise you do not want to miss out on yet another great Eggers film. I can't wait to see what he does next!