The Lighthouse

A very empty exhibition of a talented machine to build a thick atmosphere; you can’t deny its depiction of period realism and the intentionally obsolete formal approaches (static shots, details, expressive acting, precise geometric composition), but it has absolutely nothing to offer the viewer seeking a meaningfully organised narration or some sort of distinctive process. The Witch headed somewhere and tied a loop around the viewer, who had set certain expectations, but The Lighthouse is self absorbed from the first to the last scene and never changes its nature and the pressure on the audience – and though in itself this isn’t annoying, it’s certainly not remarkable or in any way as subversive as Eggers wants it to be. 60% (19/01/2020)

Proteus and Prometheus in the shadow of Poe and his Maelstroms, gradually pulling in those with demons in their souls? Or the pages of Melville, Stevenson, Lovecraft, Beckett, and Pinter, drenched in salty sea foam? Or, as the authors of the "weird tale" themselves claim, a story that Freud and Jung would furiously munch popcorn over? Perhaps it’s just two lighthouse keepers with cabin fever, alternating between masculine and feminine roles, getting drunk on honey and turpentine, and masturbating over the magic of the Fresnel lens? Who knows what we actually witnessed. After all, 130 years have passed, and the maritime message from New England has been handed down so many times that the truth now only barely intersects with a good story. It’s striking, among other things, in how the protagonists achieve extreme physical expression through different acting methods (such as Pattinson’s masturbation over mermaids and sea fruits, or Dafoe’s curse with bulging eyes that leaves no doubt about his culinary skills). In any case, it’s a solid splash of a film, with its genre ambiguity adding to its charm. (04/09/2024)

A sea the color of crude oil and the light of the lighthouse like the Divine Light. A crushing atmosphere of bullying, lies and madness. A great screenplay with psychologically unstable characters in the main roles, who move the action along with drunken spouting and gradual confiding in each other as they come face to face with starving to death. Teh farting Dafoe delivers an acting masterclass and the masturbating Pattinson is his star pupil who isn’t afraid of taking things to extremes. The mermaid hallucinations and being buried alive are moments of the year. Aye, lad! (31/12/2019)

Just like in his The Witch, the director relishes creating the right atmosphere, but his film is very inapproachable; he makes every effort to spoil your viewing experience. The actors in the leading roles (Dafoe and Pattison) deliver superb performances, moreover in black and white, in a spooky, morbid environment with a hidden evil like from Lovecraft. I like all of this, but the inapproachability of the film makes it hard to give it better than average rating. It is, however, definitely a unique experience. (30/01/2020)

This is a beautifully filmed black and white movie in a 1.19:1 square format which is evocative of a different time, as if the hypnotic movie The Lighthouse was created outside of all time and space. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson give magnificent performances, and they compete to outperform each other in who portrays the most manic version of a madman. Figuring out the symbolism of the scenes, and the point of certain moments in the plot, offers up all sorts of parallels extending back to ancient times, however, I do not want to give out any spoilers, The Lighthouse is definitely a movie that everyone has to interpret in their own way. It is a very well-made art-house horror movie, which makes you completely believe the loneliness and hopelessness is real, so I was still waiting for some element from Robert Eggers, which would completely knock me off my feet while watching his movie, which did not happen. Anyhow, I still acknowledge his great directing skills and unique vision, and I will be very interested in his future directorial work. I heartily recommend seeing The Lighthouse on the big screen and, if possible, with very well-translated subtitles. [Sitges 2019] (07/10/2019)