Movie Review: The Lighthouse (2019)

Genre: Drama  

Director: Robert Eggers  

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson  

Running Time: 109 minutes  

Synopsis: In New England of the 1800s, Thomas and Ephraim (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) arrive at a rocky outcrop to operate and maintain a lighthouse for a four week stint. The grizzled and more senior Thomas cares for the lighthouse lamp and orders Ephraim to do all the dirty and menial tasks. After encountering disturbing visions of a mermaid and hostile seagulls, Ephraim starts to lose his mind. When a storm moves in and prevents the two men from returning to shore, full-fledged alcohol-fueled madness sets in.

What Works Well: The black and white cinematography combines with stormy skies, raging oceans, and that incessant foghorn to create a threatening aesthetic. Both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson throw themselves into their roles, pushing theatricality towards the insanity of isolation, disoriented masculinity, sexual frustration, and the dangers of excessive power imbalance.

What Does Not Work As Well: While undoubtedly artistic, the absence of plot results in a tedious two-character drama, and the slippage towards derangement opens the door to a mishmash of anything-goes themes and images. With plenty of verbose and bombastic inspiration drawn from Greek and other mythology, the material may be better suited to a stage show.

Key Quote:

Thomas: How long have we been on this rock? Five weeks? Two days? Where are we? Help me to recollect.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.