The Lighthouse

Newcomer filmmaker Robert Eggers has been making an impact with modern audiences recently with only a few big screen features and plenty of short films under his belt. He made his theatrical debut in 2015 after his long trek with other projects with the period horror film The Witch. During my recent viewing of it, I noticed how dedicated to the craft he was in creating an authentic experience, which explains why it's as divisive as I heard that it was since the dialogue and accents the actors had can make or break it (particularly with the father). It was definitely a memorable one that I'm glad took since I liked it (but didn't love it). This brings us to his latest transition with his next project that moved him from the supernatural to the psychological with The Lighthouse, which has been making the rounds with the film festivals it has entered in where it gained some strong critical buzz. The marketing campaign intrigued me since both of the actors are usually on my radar as well as the fact that anything with independent horror mixed with the studio A24 being involved brings fascinating weird results. I went into the movie completely blind and left it stunned but glad I watched one of the biggest mind trips of 2019.

What's it about? Taking place during the 19th century, the story follows two lighthouse keepers struggling to maintain their state of mind when a harsh storm hits them at the stationed island. The best way to describe it is an old black and white psychological film that doesn't give a lot of information to its audience but trusts them to interpret the rest of their own. The way it's filmed and crafted shows improvement for the director as it feels even more pure for the type of old school feeling it's going for. It's wildly unpredictable due to the loss of sanity the characters go through and the perspectives of these events demands deep analysis. What's even more surprising is how it takes the relationship between these two men and induce some funny moments due to the lingering tension them.

How are Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe? As for our leading actors in this bizarre feature, they make the experience incredibly engaging with their best performances among their respective careers. Both of them are dealing with a type of sailors dialogue in their conversations but it's actually much easier to understand (at least when compared to that from The Witch). Robert is excellent with keeping us guessing on what he's hiding and reacting to events in his viewpoint. Willem is strong as a leader who's abundant with long winding monologues while his inquisitive nature is equally engaging. The chemistry as well as the back-forth interactions between the both of them are powerful in carrying this slow paced feature on its own.

Overall Consensus: The Lighthouse is an engaging throwback to black and white psychological horror where the amazing performances, unpredictable narrative, great directing, and excellent craft in cinematography makes memorable ride. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2🎟🍿 Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors. You enjoy independent movies that are shot in black-white and have a slow pace. You have seen The Witch and are curious about the directors newest project. You like movies that don't give too much information and trusts you to interpret what's happening.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors. You dislike independent movies that are shot in black-white and have a slow pace. You have seen The Witch but aren't curious about the directors newest project or disliked that type of style. You hate movies that don't give too much information and trusts you to interpret what's happening.