LogFAQs > #945933440

73. The Lighthouse (2019 film) (17 points)
Nominated by: MetalmindStats (2/5 remaining)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyag7lR8CPA

Importance: 3
Fear: 7.5
Snake: 6.5

The Lighthouse is a difficult film to approach. Like Eggers' previous effort The VVitch, it's a divisive film that's a pure creative vision, stylized to a point where it seems inaccessible for a large audience, but when you peel back the layers, you find a film with plenty of elements that people can find familiarity in. At the core of the Lighthouse, stripping away any semblance of horror, is a simple story of two men, Ephraim Winslow & Thomas Wake, experiencing the effects of cabin fever, the loss of sanity, boredom, alcoholism and how keeping a secret can slowly but surely eat a way at you until you are nothing but a husk. Winlsow comes to the titular lighthouse for temporary work, while Wake is part of the old guard, Winslow's demanding boss with a few weird habits to say the least. The performances here are spectacular, two of the all time best, and I say that with no hyperbole. Pattinson plays Winslow with a dead-eyed seriousness, but as the grueling work and secrets take hold of his mind, a bubbling anger and Winslow's true nature shows itself, and Pattinson's rants and descent into madness is a horrific sight to behold. Meanwhile, Dafoe's Wake is played almost as the complete opposite, sort of deranged from the start with a crude sense of humor, superstitious mind, and strange rituals but as the film goes on he surprisingly takes the role of straight man, becoming critical of Winslow's performance and actions. As the horror elements get added back in, The Lighthouse can then be more comparable to a Greek myth with a dash of Lovecraft for good measure. Winslow is positioned as Prometheus, a trickster who steals the blinding gleam of the lighthouse for himself and receives the ultimate punishment, while Wake is Proteus, literally representing the "old man of the sea", and the fickle, unforgiving power of the ocean. The film thus takes on a sense of "unreality", the turning point being Winslow killing the one-eyed gull, leaving the audience in a state of unresolved limbo with varying levels of dream-logic & imaginative hallucinations, playing with us as much at it does with its characters, crafting an off-kilter feeling we can feel in our souls.

When I first watched this film, I'll admit, I didn't truly understand it. Rewatching it again, I can be proud to admit its nuances still elude me. To contradict myself here, despite me saying it's approachable in a way, I still find its whole ending still too obtuse for my total liking, perhaps getting too carried away with its symbolism and dramatic imagery which has the unfortunate side-effect of shooting itself in the foot. It is however an entirely technical marvel with performances better than we deserve, and I will always champion a horror film for legitimately pushing the boundaries and for giving me reasons to think about it more in-depth and begging for further rewatches. This is a modern classic no matter what I say about it and though it's still early, I can see this film being an absolutely influential piece of storytelling for years to come.

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And it's gonna be a long October, and I don't have reasons to believe, in much of anything, alright
https://imgur.com/1e1e70S