As I’ve been working through this list, I’ve been wondering when I’d come across a film that while I would appreciate aspects of it, I’d be less than enamored with the overall product. The Lighthouse, an arthouse piece directed by Robert Eggers, and featuring Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, and Valeriia Karaman, is this film of disappointment. The Lighthouse at once composites beautiful shots, superb acting, and a brilliant audio design; nevertheless, it was decidedly not enjoyable for my own tastes. This bad monochromatic acid trip of a plot takes anything good going for this film and dashes it upon the rocks of the island that you, too, will be desperate to escape from by the end.
The film is set on an island sometime ambigiously in the late 1800’s, as Winslow (Pattinson) picks up a new trade of running a lighthouse under his cantankerous tutor and boss, Wake (Dafoe). The two men strive to work together, keeping the lighthouse running and their sanity intact. Let me say, things get really, really, really weird. I’m just happy internships don’t take place on extremely depressing craggy rocks these days.
There is value here, and there are excellent moments. Robert Pattinson showcases brilliant acting chops. Willem Dafoe is at once an unchallenged force and a vulnerable soul. There are scenes where the writing pulls out of the fog and starts giving something for the actors to work with. The awkward 1.19:1 aspect ratio creates some unusually beautiful and surprising photography, and I found myself really appreciating the insanely hard work it must have been to capture and mix this movie’s audio. Mark Amicucci, the Mix Technician for this movie, gets a shoutout. However, the moments described here would not be sufficient enough for me to recommend anyone to see this film, outside of bourgeois cinephiles.
I don’t want to be terribly negative, so I’m keeping this short. There’s clearly a lot of talent that worked on this production, and unfortunately, it just didn’t click for me. I found it to be incredibly long, often hard to understand, recursive as these guys continue to drink their way through being stuck on an island, and finally, when you get to see the conflict the picture had been building up, it instead goes way-left field. It’s certainly surprising, but it also felt like one of those absurd films that Rockstar parodies in the GTA movie theaters. My satisfaction from this film comes from seeing some great acting, seeing this film off my list, and knowing that this style of film is NOT for me.
Rating: 2/5
There’s something here, but not for me. I don’t plan on rewatching it.
This review is part of the CoronaReviews, a series of quick reviews I’m going to write to stay sane while I wait for the COVID-19 shutdowns to end. I’ve got a long list of films I desperately need to catch up on, but if you have suggestions or commentary, comment below! I’d love to discuss it with you so I don’t lose my mind here by myself.