There are some lonely professions out there. One imagines that being stationed in a remote part of the world might make for a bleak experience, or perhaps being the caretaker of an empty hotel in the middle of the winter… if memory serves, that didn’t work out well for Jack Torrance in The Shining during his stay in the Rocky Mountains. It seems that the positions depicted in The Lighthouse would certainly fit the bill, both as a job and environment physically and mentally taxing at the best of times.
This is a story of two eccentric individuals serving as “wickies” on a small island off the coast of New England. Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) is an experienced figure with a taste for booze as well as a seemingly endless propensity to expel gas. Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) is a reserved, tea-totaling ex-lumberman looking for a new start in life. After arriving, the two are forced into close contact, with the authoritative Wake pushing orders onto and irritating the new employee. Winslow appears to be hiding a dark secret and begins having strange visions in his sleep. He also witnesses bizarre behavior on the part of Wake during the elderly man’s evening shift. When the two men become trapped on the rock as a storm rages for weeks on end, events become increasingly more unhinged.
The first thing worth mentioning is that this is an exceptionally well-acted and photographed motion picture. Gorgeously shot in black and white in the 1.19:1 square aspect ratio, the movie exudes a closed-off, gloomy and menacing atmosphere. The shots of the old lighthouse interiors as well as the rocky shores and raging waters are consistently striking. The look of the film helps significantly in establishing a mood and feeling of unease, which writer/director Robert Eggers (The Witch) already has plenty of experience with.
Additionally, the two leads are equally up to the task. One or both of the men are onscreen for just about the entirety of the running time and their interactions are crucial to maintaining interest. There is good camaraderie between the actors, resulting in amusing bickering between the two as they attempt to find common ground. As alcohol enters the picture it leads to more dramatic and unsettling moments, including some unusual admissions about their inner states. Thankfully, there are also a few chuckles that break up the intensity involving some increasingly annoying and unrelenting seagulls who just won’t leave Winslow alone.
Yet, the storytelling approach always keeps viewers at an arm’s length. Clearly, to some degree this is a movie about mental illness. Or at least the effect that guilt can have when a person is stationed alone without company and finding themselves increasingly lost in their own thoughts. As Winslow experiences more and more visions, one begins to wonder how deeply or creatively his deteriorating mental state will be examined or if there might even be some shocking reveals. Despite the potential to venture even further into the void, this ends up being a largely minimalist experience. It does seem that harsh and unforgiving environments can push men over the edge and, well… that’s about it. As such, the final reveal makes little impact and may not elicit much more than a shrug.
The cast are great and the visuals kept this reviewer engaged, which make it a curious experience and certainly save the film from the scrapheap. For if neither of these elements were as potent, the end result wouldn’t be watchable at all. It’s enjoyable enough to see these performers going for broke, but the themes and concept don’t seem as well developed, leaving this reviewer a little cold. The Lighthouse offers a few bright patches, but doesn’t end up illuminating the screen as vibrantly as anticipated.