The Lighthouse

“From Robert Eggers, the visionary filmmaker behind the modern horror masterpiece The Witch, comes this hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s. As an approaching storm threatens to sweep them from the rock and strange apparitions emerge from the fog, each man begins to suspect that the other has become dangerously unmoored.”

Robert Eggers’ The Witch was, in my opinion, a groundbreaking film that took a lot of risks, starting the trend of the more sophisticated and intellectual types of horror films that have become much more popular, especially with A24 studio. I’ve eagerly awaited his next film, and The Lighthouse surely doesn’t disappoint.

What Eggers was able to achieve in his first feature film was that sense of isolation with the family in the early days of the colonization of the United States trying to survive after being banished from their town. Everything about the film, from the direction to the story and characters made you feel cut off from everyone and everything. In The Lighthouse, he’s able to achieve this in a much greater sense as the two characters are stationed on a small island manning a lighthouse that warns ships of imminent danger. This isolation from the rest of the world, and in a sense each other, as Robert Pattinson’s character spends much of his time alone tending to tasks required for the upkeep of the station, not seeing his superior until the evening. Whether it’s this isolation that is the trigger for the foray into madness, or something supernatural, it could be open to interpretation. That’s what I enjoy so much about Eggers’ films, is that there is so much powerful imagery that you could easily make a case for either one.

The film doesn’t provide much of a narrative in a tradition sense. You see the characters go about their daily routines easily enough in the beginning, but those routines take a dark turn as the film progresses. In The Lighthouse, however, that lack of narrative doesn’t make much difference as things begin to happen you can’t explain. I can’t think of two better actors to take on these roles than Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. Dafoe, as usual, completely immerses himself in this role, providing one of his best I believe to date. His portrayal of Thomas Wake is absolutely mesmerizing. Robert Pattinson has more than proven he’s more than the single role he’s most associated with, this probably being one of his crowning achievements. His acting is unbelievably good as well, making our journey into the insane all the more frightening to behold. Both of the actors had such different approaches to their method, but equally give performances that simply must be recognized for the brilliance they are. We also can’t forget the most daunting of all characters, the sea, which is one of the most antagonizing characters in the film. It’s power is beyond measure, and witnessing this is breathtaking.

The story is a very simple one, but the entirety of the film is this descent into madness as these men slowly lose their grip on reality, and that descent gets more and more disturbing as the film continues. It’s this journey, the symbolism, making sense of the imagery, and the superb acting that makes this film stand out among all the others of the year, for me, being one of the best.

Video

The Lighthouse is presented in 1080p High Definition with a Pillar Box Presentation of 1.19:1, making the picture almost square. Eggers’ particular style is very unique in this sense, as was with The Witch, creating a look that is almost claustrophobic, making it even more effective than it already is. It creates a beautiful symmetry that he uses to make some great shots that are aesthetically breathtaking. The use of black and white is also a perfect choice in creating the unique look of this story that takes place in the 1890s, and gives them an opportunity to play with light and dark on so many levels. Learning about the lengths Eggers went to for creating such an historically accurate film, such as using this aspect ratio and using lenses as close to the time period as he could find. His films may not be the clearest or detailed in the era of high definition and 4k, but they are some of the most beautiful and unique that I’ve seen in quite a while.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This track is simply astonishing. Yes, you’d think the majority of the sound would be in the form of dialogue, but the surrounds bellow deep and powerful sounds of fog horns, the ocean, the wind, the birds, all that culminate in an assault on your senses that makes you uneasy as the film continues to get darker and darker.

Special Features

With such an amazing film, I was thrilled to see there were decent features on this disc, including commentary and a ‘Making Of’ that isn’t a short throwaway advertisement for how great the film is. This actually goes in depth and is fascinating to watch.

• The Lighthouse: A Dark & Stormy Tale
• Audio Commentary with Co-Writer & Director Robert Eggers
• Deleted Scenes

One of the best, and most unnerving films I’ve seen this year, The Lighthouse will have you questioning your own sanity as you witness this journey unfold in front of you. It succeeds in making you feel so uncomfortable, and although one may not particularly enjoy that feeling, the fact that this film invokes that in the audience makes it immediately triumphant in its intention.