All ye tender lasses and land-lubbers, listen and heed me caution now: Take yer refuge and stow the wee ones, for this tale of brine and blood be rated ARRRRR!
In pre-show interviews, Robert Eggers said this of The Lighthouse, that he wanted to make another film about misery, but this time make it a comedy. I joked that if this was going to be a comedy, it would be like that one Ingmar Bergman comedy (Secrets of Women). And I didn't know how right I was (though as a horror film, it also has shades of Bergman's Hour of the Wolf). There are funny moments in it, as might be expected of any Odd Couple type situation, but this is very much a Bergmanian existentialist drama about man's struggle with God. As an exploration of that dynamic, it's bloody brilliant. Rich and textured, it goes well beyond simple Christian allegory, though Man having to toil and suffer to win an unattainable "light" is definitely the first layer. It also has Pagan resonances, at once Odyssean and Promethean, and more than a touch of folk superstition with its Kraken and merfolk imagery, and its ancient curses made true. It's Melvillian too. The Man/God dynamic can also be seen as a son/demanding father story, or as generational strife (Boomer/Millennial), and still works. Or if you want to say it's all psychological and nothing is real except maybe the last shot, that's fine too. There's no one answer, they're all true. The mirror between the characters certainly adds that extra dimension. To me, it all comes back to the same question no matter how you cut it: Why do we worship these asshole gods? (For gods, substitute parents, traditions, generations that sell themselves as successful, your own ego). And all of that is quite beyond the technical aspects of the film which remind you why it's called the Silver Screen. The black and white photography positively shimmers, and the square frame isn't a gimmick to make the film look like it was made in a bygone age, but rather to make the lighthouse and its lonely island as claustrophobic as possible. Eggers has made a film that, while livelier than The VVitch, stands next to it in a diptych. Both show how one's conversation with God is filled with pitfalls and temptations designed to make you fall.
. Who would have ever guessed Pattinson and Dafoe could make such a successful onscreen pairing. Moving effortlessly from eerie to comedic to horrific, it makes for a riveting watch. There's layers to it that would be best analyzed and addressed elsewhere so... Suffice to say, surreal folktale horror is a subgenre I never knew I needed until now.
I finished this past midnight and the whole experience totally enthralled me. I've never seen acting like the kind Pattinson and Dafoe pull off here. It's joyous to see two people so at the top of their game, accompanied by the salty seas, roaring wind, maritime lore, magical realism, and hypnotic cinematography. The lighthouse feels infinitely large and unbearably claustrophobic at the same time. I love that there's a specific point where the audience begins to question reality and the fever dream logic it runs on somehow made perfect sense to me.
For a first viewing experience, turn off all the lights and shut the curtains. Put down your phone. Don't analyze it. Immerse yourself in the hellish mindscape Eggers has created. Feel your sanity slip away.
What a movie!! Robert Pattinson proves he’s got the acting abilities to match Willem Dafoe! Robert Eggers is proving himself to be a masterclass filmmaker.
Just when 2019 started to seem like a just okay movie year, “The Lighthouse” blew me away! I can’t wait to see this movie again.
Enthralling experience. Perfectly acted throughout, beautifully shot, amazing sound that is almost too good for what you're seeing on film, and never dull. While it won't satisfy the blockbuster crowds that outright dislike "indie" films it does provide those of us like myself who dabble more than enough satisfaction to enjoy it and not feel excluded from its weirdness.
As my friend and i said, just as the Credits started, what the fuck did we watch?!
The cinematography and sound editing were amazing, and both Dafoe and Pattinson deserve much praise for their roles, but the film made no sense, whatsoever
I just kept thinking "I bet The Turin Horse influenced this film, but The Turin Horse was sooooo much better."
This movie felt like a film student made a solid, 40-minute short designed to show off all his impressive technique, and then signed a studio deal and padded the short into a feature. I had the same "Too much style, too little story" reaction to "The Witch" too.
Dafoe really goes full Shakespeare with his performance (sharply contrasting with Pattinson's approach), but his theatrical sea-salt voice is so exaggerated that simply making out his words can be difficult.
Edit: AFTER writing the above, I came across a Robert Eggers interview where he confessed the film (at least initially) comes off like "a Hungarian art house movie." BINGO. Turin Horse! Nailed it.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 22
greenhorg
All ye tender lasses and land-lubbers, listen and heed me caution now: Take yer refuge and stow the wee ones, for this tale of brine and blood be rated ARRRRR!
Siskoid
In pre-show interviews, Robert Eggers said this of The Lighthouse, that he wanted to make another film about misery, but this time make it a comedy. I joked that if this was going to be a comedy, it would be like that one Ingmar Bergman comedy (Secrets of Women). And I didn't know how right I was (though as a horror film, it also has shades of Bergman's Hour of the Wolf). There are funny moments in it, as might be expected of any Odd Couple type situation, but this is very much a Bergmanian existentialist drama about man's struggle with God. As an exploration of that dynamic, it's bloody brilliant. Rich and textured, it goes well beyond simple Christian allegory, though Man having to toil and suffer to win an unattainable "light" is definitely the first layer. It also has Pagan resonances, at once Odyssean and Promethean, and more than a touch of folk superstition with its Kraken and merfolk imagery, and its ancient curses made true. It's Melvillian too. The Man/God dynamic can also be seen as a son/demanding father story, or as generational strife (Boomer/Millennial), and still works. Or if you want to say it's all psychological and nothing is real except maybe the last shot, that's fine too. There's no one answer, they're all true. The mirror between the characters certainly adds that extra dimension. To me, it all comes back to the same question no matter how you cut it: Why do we worship these asshole gods? (For gods, substitute parents, traditions, generations that sell themselves as successful, your own ego). And all of that is quite beyond the technical aspects of the film which remind you why it's called the Silver Screen. The black and white photography positively shimmers, and the square frame isn't a gimmick to make the film look like it was made in a bygone age, but rather to make the lighthouse and its lonely island as claustrophobic as possible. Eggers has made a film that, while livelier than The VVitch, stands next to it in a diptych. Both show how one's conversation with God is filled with pitfalls and temptations designed to make you fall.PrinceJax
To quote my good friend regarding this film:AECH
I finished this past midnight and the whole experience totally enthralled me. I've never seen acting like the kind Pattinson and Dafoe pull off here. It's joyous to see two people so at the top of their game, accompanied by the salty seas, roaring wind, maritime lore, magical realism, and hypnotic cinematography. The lighthouse feels infinitely large and unbearably claustrophobic at the same time. I love that there's a specific point where the audience begins to question reality and the fever dream logic it runs on somehow made perfect sense to me.For a first viewing experience, turn off all the lights and shut the curtains. Put down your phone. Don't analyze it. Immerse yourself in the hellish mindscape Eggers has created. Feel your sanity slip away.
audiopile
I was way too stoned for this.Had me thinking pretty hard about my life and how i live it, that is for sure.
Fastkit
What a movie!! Robert Pattinson proves he’s got the acting abilities to match Willem Dafoe! Robert Eggers is proving himself to be a masterclass filmmaker.Just when 2019 started to seem like a just okay movie year, “The Lighthouse” blew me away! I can’t wait to see this movie again.
primalf09
Enthralling experience. Perfectly acted throughout, beautifully shot, amazing sound that is almost too good for what you're seeing on film, and never dull. While it won't satisfy the blockbuster crowds that outright dislike "indie" films it does provide those of us like myself who dabble more than enough satisfaction to enjoy it and not feel excluded from its weirdness.Sk1337
As my friend and i said, just as the Credits started, what the fuck did we watch?!The cinematography and sound editing were amazing, and both Dafoe and Pattinson deserve much praise for their roles, but the film made no sense, whatsoever
Esnaider
Better sequel to The Shining than Doctor Sleepmeltemsultan
Went to bed not thinking much of it - only to dream of sirens in the water and the sound of a foghorn.Forzelius
the seagulls be like "mine", "mine"djpatch28
I enjoyed The VVitch. This, not so much. Could not stay awake, no point to it, really.eamon m
Last Act let's it down badly.Ebbywebby
I just kept thinking "I bet The Turin Horse influenced this film, but The Turin Horse was sooooo much better."This movie felt like a film student made a solid, 40-minute short designed to show off all his impressive technique, and then signed a studio deal and padded the short into a feature. I had the same "Too much style, too little story" reaction to "The Witch" too.
Dafoe really goes full Shakespeare with his performance (sharply contrasting with Pattinson's approach), but his theatrical sea-salt voice is so exaggerated that simply making out his words can be difficult.
Edit: AFTER writing the above, I came across a Robert Eggers interview where he confessed the film (at least initially) comes off like "a Hungarian art house movie." BINGO. Turin Horse! Nailed it.
BLJNBrouwer
Keeping secrets are ye?Showing items 1 – 15 of 22