The Lighthouse focuses on Ephraim Winslow and Thomas Wake, played by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, respectively, who are working a contract job on an island off the coast of New England, with Winslow serving as Wake’s wickie. The two take a while to get to know one another, Wake being the more talkative one while Winslow being more closed off, though eventually opening up at Wake’s insistence. However, as the weeks go by, the two clash in a constant power struggle, all while Winslow experiences frightening dreams and hallucinations that cause him to lose his mind.
The film was directed by Robert Eggers, whose directorial debut, The Witch, divided some viewers for its slow pace and abstract storytelling, despite critical acclaim. And in some ways, those elements are once again present in The Lighthouse. This isn’t a fast-paced, action-packed thriller that has blood and guts flying around like your traditional horror movie. This is simply just Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, by themselves, in this lighthouse, sometimes just talking or performing mundane tasks, and there’s something that may just be slightly off.
And despite such a set up that sounds boring on paper to some, this movie pulls it off excellently. This is a chilling, frightening tale of two people slowly losing their grip on reality during their time in isolation. Unlike most other great horror movies, it isn’t necessarily scary. The film doesn’t go for jump scares, nor does it really go for displaying any typical creepy horror imagery. The film manages to take many ordinary things and display them in such a way that makes them feel unsettling.
A lot of that has to do with the way in which this is filmed. Eggers is only two movies in and he has more than proved that he knows what it takes when it comes to aesthetic. A major theme of the film is power dynamics, and it shows the two men constantly in these battle of wits that are sometimes subtle, and other times fairly over-the-top. There are scenes in which Dafoe berates Pattinson and he’s shot from a lower angle as if he’s the one in control, while there are scenes of the two men staring each other down on a staircase that’s shot with very sharp high and low angles when they speak to one another to signify who has the upper hand in that moment.
Eggers even finds a way to make a seagull seem creepy. Throughout the film, there’s this one seagull who constantly shows up with its sole purpose to just annoy Pattinson, and there are moments where Pattinson is so freaked out by this thing even when it does nothing but look at him just like any other seagull would. There are some brilliant master shots of this thing just staring Pattinson down or flying towards him that give it this feel of having a much larger presence than it should, and Eggers does a wonderful job evoking such a feel from even the smallest of creatures. There are times where it feels almost like Hitchcock’s The Birds but on a much smaller scale.
Even with the soundtrack, this film succeeds. The film’s dominant sound is a mix of two things, one of which being an actual droning score that will repeat itself throughout the movie, fitting in well with the themes of isolation. Pattinson and Dafoe are stuck seeing the same things over and over again throughout the course of the film, and the way in which this soundtrack winds up being more of the same in some ways keeps that feel consistent, never coming off as overbearing or stale as a result. But the film even mixes in actual sounds heard by the two men that go well with the score. The sounds of horns blaring, or waves crashing, or seagulls chirping will suddenly be the dominant sound, and even linger just a bit as one can clearly see one of the two men processing what they just heard, clearly bothering them at times, and it just gives this film an extra sense of insanity.
Part of what also draws the audience in is the fact that Eggers brilliantly captures the feel of 19th century New England. Like how The Witch captured the dialect of 17th century New England to a tee, he made sure both Pattinson and Dafoe spoke just as how one would speak during this particular time period. That, combined with the fact that the film was shot in black-and-white and in a 1.19: 1 aspect ratio, makes one feel like they’re really transported back in time. If one had no clue who either of the two main actors were, there definitely would be this sense that one was watching two actual people in the 1890’s.
While the film is aesthetically pleasing, its two strongest elements are, by a long shot, the performances of both Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. Both of these actors give what is easily one of their best performances respectively, if not their absolute best. The two have such an incredible dynamic, with Dafoe already being eccentric, loud, and talkative, while Pattinson is quiet and closed off, though forced to come out of his shell over the course of the film. These two contrast in the most extreme ways possible, and it makes for some really interesting conversations.
The film is heavily dialogue-based at times, and the fear in these cases would be that it would make the film feel boring, especially given its nearly two-hour runtime. There is exposition at times, as the two get to know one another and reveal a little more about their backstories. But Eggers’ screenplay never shoehorns too much into a scene in an attempt to pad the runtime. He gives just the right amount of information that’s needed, such as Wake’s career as a lighthouse caretaker or Winslow’s backstory that led him to this moment, and he keeps the scene moving, always making sure to incorporate what was said into some other major plot point later on.
In this way, the film manages to find a way to give these two such rich character development while still not detracting too much from the situation at hand, which makes for some really masterful storytelling. It helps the audience get invested in how these two interact so easily. And there are times where these two go toe-to-toe with one another that wind up being some of the most entertaining parts of the film.
Dafoe, being the loud one, will quickly unleash his anger on Pattinson if he feels he did something out of line. He berates him, insults him, and yells at him, and at first Pattinson says nothing in retaliation. But seeing Pattinson change the way he reacts to Dafoe winds up being masterfully done. His demeanor shifts over the course of the film in such subtle ways that one almost won’t even realize how he’s such a different person by the end of it.
The film surprisingly also manages to be a lot funnier than one think it would be, sometimes through visuals and sometimes through its exchanges. There are images that will come out of nowhere, that some may find weird for the sake of being weird, but can be so uncomfortable that one can’t help but laugh, particularly a minor subplot involving what Dafoe’s activities are at night. And there are times where it’ll be something so silly yet timed so perfectly that it never takes one out of the moment, particularly a series of fart jokes from Dafoe. Eggers blends absurdity and subtlety really well at times. And it’s great that he injects a little bit of humor here, as it doesn’t make the film feel completely somber and allows the audience to have a bit of enjoyment while also being creeped out.
As mentioned earlier, like The Witch, this movie does tend to be a little abstract from time to time, which may be one of the more off-putting elements for some. It’s not a film that necessarily looks to answer every question it brings up, and for some that may be a major problem. Though unlike other films that decide to go such a route, bringing up actual concrete ideas and never following through on them, this has a lot to deal with what goes inside characters’ minds. So there are times where one sees a certain image or may be going through a certain experience, and it’s not known whether or not it’s in their head or if they’re really seeing something. And while it is a little disappointing that it doesn’t have a concrete answer for everything, the fact that it’s more of a psychological film rather than an event-based film gives it a little more leniency to go down such a route.
The Lighthouse manages to take the idea of two people in an isolated location and make it one of the most unsettling pieces of film in 2019. It’s a film that excels on a technical aspect, with the feel of being transported back in time through the characters’ dialogue and the way in which this was shot. It’s a film that manages to evoke so many different emotions, from laughter, to empathy, to pure terror. It’s a horror film that isn’t scary in the traditional sense, yet somehow manages to be one of the most unsettling films of the year. And it manages to showcase some of the best performances from its two leads, and their instances of going toe-to-toe wind up being some of the most entertaining moments in film this year. It doesn’t answer every single question it asked, but it still brings its audience along for quite an interesting ride. If there’s one horror movie to see this year, make it The Lighthouse.
Recommendation: Watch It
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