Movie Reviews - The Lighthouse

Director: Robert Eggers
Genre: Drama/ Horror/ Fantasy
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman, Logan Hawkes, Shaun Clarke, Kyla Nicolle, Pierre Richard, Preston Hudson, Jeffrey Cruts

Description: Two lighthouse keepers (Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe) try to maintain their sanity whilst living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Review: “The Lighthouse” is the newest film by director Robert Eggers and written by his brother Max Eggers. Here we follow two lighthouse keepers who get stuck on a mysterious island in the 1890s.
Eggers shot “The Lighthouse” completely in black and white. Besides helping to give it a mysterious touch, it also serves to place the story in the late 19th century. Long shots of one camera were also chosen. Strangely enough, this gives both a kind of calm and uncomfortable feeling.
Another striking point is that the film was shot in an almost square format. This not only gives an enormous retro feeling, it works extra to keep the film small and intimate. Small island, small spaces and the protagonists are close together. The latter is not always pleasant, you are also close to them and feel the mutual tension.
The peculiar sound is also used to create an atmosphere that you could best describe as eerie and spooky. Add to this Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson who, thanks to the strong dialogues and monologues, create two beautiful characters in a dance that alternates between power and brotherhood. It is perhaps Pattinson’s best acting to date and also one of Dafoe’s best performances.
There is a clear hierarchy between the two characters. Dafoe’s character is the only one who controls the light, the newcomer is very by the book. So he doesn’t drink alcohol and wants to share as many tasks as possible and gain experience in these four weeks. This clashes.
In the four weeks they spend together, both character go through major development. Why do both men want to be there, what past has forced them to do so? In the four weeks they get closer to each other, but it remains mysterious.
“The Lighthouse” is a film about fear and madness, a combination that creates a strange horror drama which is a feast for the senses. A beautiful psychological nightmare that you should not skip. But be warned: this is not for everyone, it’s the good kind of weird.

Rating: 4, 5 / 5