The Lighthouse
Directed by: Robert Eggers
Runtime: 110 minutes
The Lighthouse begins as Ephraim (Robert Pattinson) begins work as an assistant to lighthouse keeper Tom (Willem Dafoe) and follows the two as they stumble into wild degeneracy on their isolated and inhospitable rocky island.
If you were anything like me, Pattinson and Dafoe’s sheer energy in trailers and promotional material were enough to pique your interest and the two certainly deliver. Dafoe’s disgusting, contrary and generally unlikeable Tom was often funny and ridiculous but utterly believable. Pattinson’s Ephraim oscillating from straight man to complete lunatic was equally exciting and while it was sometimes hard to place his accent, his performance as solid enough for me to forgive.
Robert Egger’s direction was clearly very expressive; the 4:3 aspect ratio and grayscale meant that there was a greater focus on framing, action and composition that are really refreshing and aesthetically quite different to any modern films I’ve seen recently.
However, I do believe that this was often heavily relied upon to the detriment of the plot. The script is certainly colourful, creative and often poetic however the story is empty, I felt largely disconnected from the characters and, I really hate to say, bored. While the second act increased the pace significantly, it dropped again almost immediately and could only be described as vaguely narcoleptic until the confusing but very cool climax.
Watching this film, I instantly noticed similarities to Igmar Bergman’s Persona. However, where Persona felt profound and tense in its exploration of the two main characters’ growing co-dependence, The Lighthouse felt like a MRA’s strange fever dream, replete with phallic symbols, mermaids with vaginas and vague homoerotic tension that felt more like an Arthouse afterthought than a real theme.
The Lighthouse can be summarised as a film that is trying to be. It jostles shoulders with Bergman’s Persona but never quite establishes its own presence and comes across as a somewhat shallow imitation.
If you truly want to experience Pattinson’s and Dafoe’s eclectic performances or you tend to enjoy surreal Arthouse cinema, you’re welcome to go watch The Lighthouse. Just don’t invite me; I have no further interest in shiny spectacles.
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