While all movies are made with the sole purpose to entertain as well as churn out a profit for the studio, there are some films that aim to do so while also desiring to challenge the audiences patience and way of thinking with delivering a film that carries a unique cinematic approach to it's style of filmmaking. While these movies won't necessarily please a wide range of audiences and most cases end up leaving them either confused or divided, they're noteworthy for their attempts to bring something new to the table in regards to filmmaking, as well as challenging the audiences perspective with storytelling. In the case of
The Lighthouse, the film aims to be different from most of the mainstream films that was released last year with terrific performances from it's main stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, while also carrying a narrative that can considered too bizarre for audiences to follow. Despite the movies off features, the effort is a noble one as
The Lighthouse is well-filmed and brilliantly acted, making up for the lack of momentum with the films storyline. The film also contains some of the strongest acting from it's main performers with Dafoe doing an excellent job and Pattinson continuing to stretch his legs as a quality actor. Add to that the films impressive black and white cinematography,
The Lighthouse is an odd feature but keeps audiences watching due to the main stars commanding presence on the screen.
The plot for
The Lighthouse focuses on two lighthouse keepers (Both played brilliantly by William Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) as they arrive on a remote New England station where they're assigned to remain stationed for a month. As they draw closer to the end of their time at their post, both the weather and their mental states become erratic, leading to rising tension between them with the lines between reality and false illusions becoming increasingly blurred.
The Lighthouse is a film that makes no efforts in regards to playing it safe with audiences, and is pretty out there both story wise and structurally. What propels it to being an unusual yet appealing piece of filmmaking is the stylish black and white feel of the movie combined with the phenomenal performances of Dafoe and Pattinson. The film essentially feels like a quieter yet still creepy version of
Shutter Island with the heart and soul of the film focusing on the interaction between Dafoe and Pattinson's characters. On both a visual and filmmaking scale,
The Lighthouse is extremely well-crafted with the film showing director Robert Eggers to be a filmmaker of impressive talent despite it story never feeling like it goes anywhere ultimately. Despite that criticism, the film has enough pros to make it reasonably decent though clearly not a film for everyone.
Besides the films appealing cinematography and slick direction, one of the films key assets that makes it work are the combined powerhouse performances of Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. Both actors presented are perfectly casted and give their all to their roles, making the delivery of their performances appear to be bold and daring. Out of the two performances, William Dafoe steals the show as Thomas Wake. He ends up delivering one of the strongest performances of any actor this past year, making his recent Academy Award nomination snub for Best Actor baffling. He masterfully plays his role and has some of the best creepy and effective delivery of a monologue, that draws flashbacks to Quint from
Jaws. He flawlessly manages his character in terms of being subtle and low-key at certain points then goes into beast mode when required, giving justice to the films strong dialogue in terms of delivery. Despite Dafoe's commanding performance, Pattinson manages to hold his own with playing Ephraim Winslow, a calmer yet still mysterious and tyrannical character like Dafoe. Both actors showcase tremendous on screen chemistry and carry the movie essentially with Pattinson continuing to develop his strengths as a serious actor. Anyone that has doubts about whether he can play the character of
Batman in Matt Reeves recently announced trilogy will be instantly won over by his acting here. The two main actors make up for the dry aspects of the script and help solidify a genuinely bleak and disturbing atmosphere, that makes the movie feel almost like a low-key horror flick. While it can be argued that the movie struggles when it comes to the framing of it's story, it can also be said that the masterful performances of it's main actors comes to it's rescue.
The directing by Robert Eggers is one of the films true standout elements next to its brilliant acting. This is a film that's both masterfully shot while showcasing Eggers pure craftsmanship as a filmmaker. Eggers creates the appropriate atmosphere for the film given the story and makes a bold decision to film the movie in black and white, leaving much of the mystery of the characters surroundings to the audiences imagination. It also works perfectly given the films 1890's setting. The films cinematography by Jarin Blasche is breathtaking with the look of the film giving the impression of a classic Alfred Hitchcock style story meshed with a teaspoon of Stanley Kubrick. This method helps to create mystery surrounding the main characters, particularly the films visuals which appear to be both chilling and haunting at times. Another powerful element the film has is its score by Mark Korven with the music giving the story a haunted movie feel despite appearing more as a psychological thriller. The film has vibes to it which make it similar to films such as Stanley Kubrick's
The Shining, Martin Scorsese's
Shutter Island, and
The Others, particularly the spooky nature regarding the story taking place in one location for most of the film combined with the main characters slowly losing their sanity as the stories progress. As far as the directing aspect of the film goes, Robert Eggers succeeds for the most part in taking a rather bland script and giving it a style which feels like a mixture of a semi horror movie combined with a creepy psychological thriller feel to it that's driven by stunning visuals and killer performances. Eggers takes the script he's given and makes the maximum best of the material he's given while demonstrating his talents as a filmmaker.
Whereas the films acting and directing shine through, the screenplay written by Robert and Max Eggars leaves much to be desired in terms of story progression. The scripts greatest components are the establishing of the two main characters and the clever dialogue they're given with strong monologue on Dafoe's end. The problem is after the films strong start, the audience is left waiting for the story to take off in terms of something creepy happening but ultimately never get that wish. The script plays more on the psychological aspect of it's story with showing the two main characters slowly losing their minds as the story progresses with not much else happening in between. The film feels like it's building up it's suspense and tension to a payoff that never arrives. The climax is bound to either divide or leave audiences scratching their heads once the credits roll. The movie has moments where it commands the audience attention outside of the films strong acting such as a sequence involving Robert Pattinson's character beating a Seagull to death. Other compelling moments are ones where the actors fill the void that the script leaves in terms of the stories progression.
The Lighthouse feels like it's a film that carries the right idea in terms of it's concept, but never fully takes off with it in terms of the overall script playing out it's synopsis. It's a film that's undoubtedly saved by it's stellar performances from it's leading men and the films creativity in terms of it's directing and beautiful cinematography.
In the end,
The Lighthouse is not a complete misfire of a film (It has more positives elements that outweigh the negative ones), however it's not as great nor as fleshed out as it could've been had more thought been put into it's story. The movie needed a stronger third act that justifies sitting through the first two where nothing much happens besides Dafoe and Pattinson demonstrating their acting capabilities. Their combined work along with Eggars ability to create a tense and mysterious atmosphere, ultimately works as the glue that holds the film together when its story stalls. On a stylish level, the film delivers and is enough justification along with the performances for audiences to give it a watch. On the level of substance, the film is no
The Shining nor
Doctor Sleep in terms of building up it's suspense while providing a thrilling payoff. Perhaps the lack of a major plot point occurring in the films climax is meant to keep in line with the bleak aspect of the films story, leaving the bulk of the film for the audience to unpack and decipher in terms of what's happening. There's enough visual appeal with the film along with it's chilling atmosphere and fantastic performances from Dafoe and Pattinson to make the film worthwhile to audiences, though it's clearly not a film for everyone.
The Lighthouse is strange and confusing yet bold, impressive, and noble with it's attempt to challenge audiences perspective of the story. In an era where originality us becoming harder to find in the realm of cinema,
The Lighthouses noble attempts at exercising creativity deserve commending. It's a shame the filmmakers didn't believe in it's script on the same level they believes in the films actors.
Final Verdict: For cinema lovers and fans of both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson,
The Lighthouse has enough visual flare and compelling performances from it's main stars to make it a decent though not great viewing.
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