The Lighthouse – a Darkly Funny, Twisted Tale

Mermaid sex. Furious masturbation. Cabin fever. Robert Eggers’ latest fare The Lighthouse is fun for the whole family! Alright, not exactly, but it’s sure as hell entertaining, darkly funny and well-acted. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson face off in this twisted tale – one of this year’s most unique movies.

I’ve yet to see The Witch, Egger’s feature debut, but from what I’ve heard, he has an eye for detail, atmosphere, and setting. All those things come into play in The Lighthouse. Much like Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsummer), Eggers is making a name for himself as a visionary director dealing in the supernatural and the frightful.

However, it’s unfair to compare the two directors simply because they work in the same genre (for now, at least). Whereas Aster’s two movies have focused mainly on grief, Eggers’ two films are distinctly set in another time, imbued with mythological elements.

On the surface, The Lighthouse may seem like it’s down-to-earth, but as it unravels, it unmoors from the shores of reality, descends into lunacy and sails away on the seas of insanity. Dafoe’s and Pattinson’s characters are mysteries, and as they become victims of cabin fever-induced delusions and paranoia, we get closer to their core.

A sense of dread permeates the movie, thanks to the score and the haunting sound design – screeching seagulls and foghorns, just to name a few – not to mention it being filmed in black and white. But what’s more, is how funny the movie is. Quite a few moments are laugh-out-loud funny, and at times you can’t do anything but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Eggers knows how to balance between the ridiculous and the grim.

Achieving this balance wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of the leading men that the movie hinges on. Dafoe and Pattinson are an excellent match. They shout, they dance and they fight. Dafoe’s bossy seaman steals the show with his shanty lingo (including a majestic monologue where he invokes Poseidon). Pattinson gets to explore a swath of emotions as a desperate drifter harboring a dark secret.

As much as I like The Lighthouse, I do think that it overstays its welcome. The first act works as an intriguing build-up, but the second half drags on for too long, losing its momentum along the way. Had it been some 20 minutes shorter, it would’ve been a leaner and meaner affair. Then again, it’s a movie that wants you to feel the prolonged isolation of the characters, and it works if you’re along for the ride.

Being an indie movie maker, Eggers doesn’t shy away from ambiguity. Some things are ambiguous, others symbolic. It’s a movie worth revisiting, if only for its entrancing mood, absurd humor and the elusive ending.

Whether you’re enrapt by The Lighthouse or not, it’s a movie with undoubtedly stellar performances and an absorbing atmosphere. Robert Eggers may paint in black and white, but it’s a visionary picture none the less.