Willem Dafoe (pictured left) and Robert Pattinson (pictured right) star in The Lighthouse. The film centers around the disintegrating relationship between the two men (Courtesy of Wikipedia).
Since the debut of his 2015 feature The Witch, rookie director Robert Eggers took his place with other popular rising horror directors on account of his debut’s unique style and phenomenal writing. Following his first-period piece’s success, Eggers has decided to take audiences from the woods of colonial New England to the sea in The Lighthouse, which premiered in theaters on Oct. 18.
The Lighthouse tells the story of Winslow—portrayed by Robert Pattinson—a young, quiet assistant lighthouse keeper assigned to a remote station under the command of an old, wizened sailor by the name of Thomas Wake—portrayed by Willem Dafoe. As the days turn to weeks, the two men grow more tense as their clashing personalities, shady pasts and the sea itself puts their lives and sanities in jeopardy.
It is clear from the film’s opening shot that Eggers was heavily inspired by both early 19th century cinema and sailor literature. The black and white scene was shot on 35 mm film with an aspect ratio of 1.19:1, wonderfully recreating the aesthetic of a film released a century ago.
Eggers started his career in theatre and those skills are used to their full potential in The Lighthouse. The set design, props, costumes and lighting not only capture the setting, but also succeed in pushing the story forward visually. The film has many parts without dialogue that present the story utilizing nothing more than composition and lighting.
This is best expressed with the setting itself. Despite the small size of the location, Eggers has phenomenal control over how the audience sees and interprets space. He accentuates the claustrophobia and isolation of the setting, giving the audience a real visual insight into what life on this barren island is like.
While the setting is brilliant, it’s the characters that populate it who steal the show. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, who gives the best performance of his career so far, have phenomenal chemistry due to both actors’ range, which is demonstrated throughout the film. Each character’s decent into madness feels natural and successfully holds the audience’s attention.
The banter between Winslow and Wake is incredibly entertaining to watch. These interactions vary between drunken sea shanties to incredibly tense arguments that evoke lots of emotions and feel purposeful in the two characters’ development.
Surprisingly, the interactions between the two leads are as hilarious as they are suspenseful. The humor in this film is unrepentantly dark and meshes perfectly with the characters and the film’s atmosphere. Rather than throw in humor for humor’s sake, Eggers appears to recognize that, while the surreal visuals and dialogue of the film are meant to be suspenseful, it’s important to not take the film too seriously.
At its core, The Lighthouse focuses on the impact isolation can have on two men. However, the film’s style and themes allude to varied source material, including Greek mythology, nautical superstitions and other classic psychological horrors. The film also delves into themes related to identity, power and insanity.
The multitude of ideas explored in the film make for an experience that allows for plenty of interesting interpretations to be made. This is aided by the film’s incredible use of unreliable narrators. While this may leave the film too open ended for some audience members, it brilliantly aids in creating the film’s disorienting and surreal tone.
Overall, The Lighthouse stands as one of the best horror films of the decade. Eggers has crafted a film that achieves every goal he appears to have set. The film is a funny, suspenseful and thought-provoking feature that differentiates itself with a unique and authentic style. Between this film and The Witch, Eggers is trailblazing the path for the next generation of great horror directors.