What can I say about The Lighthouse? Is it good? Is it bad? It is a surreal masterpiece? A pretentious sequence of arty, nonsensical scenes? Scary? Funny? Meaningful? Meaningless? Well, it’s definitely good and does have a meaning. What it is I don’t know if I can explain.

The Lighthouse is one of those films you experience rather than follow. Things are set up for you (the characters, the setting, basic stuff) but what happens and what they mean is never quite clear. The results though are beautiful.

This second feature from The Witch director Robert Eggers depicts two lighthouse keepers trying to maintain their sanity as they endure a series of haunting and time bending incidents on a remote island in 1890s’ New England.

The Characters and The Plot

By the end of the first act we know who our characters are, as expected. Thomas (Willem Dafoe) is old, commanding and very experienced in his field while Winslow (Robert Pattinson) is a student in the profession of lighthouse keeping. He is young, curious and quite easily agitated. He’s serving a four-week contract job for Thomas and in that time develops a strong hostility towards his boss. He gets frustrated with all the heavy duty work he’s given as well as curious of Thomas’s bizarre and secretive behaviour. The power dynamic that develops between the two is very compelling and when the ferry that’s supposed to pick up Winslow at the end of his contract doesn’t turn up, the dynamic just intensifies.

Everything that’s established about Thomas and Winslow in the first act is thrown out the window, it seems. They both begin to question their identities and whether or not certain events have even occurred. Thomas continues his mysterious behaviour but Winslow also starts to act strangely. The rest of the film becomes a terrifying and mind-blowing journey of truth and discovery as the characters are constantly contradicting themselves and you’re left wondering who’s being honest and who’s not.

The Atmosphere

The execution of The Lighthouse is simply magnificent. While the premise is quite disturbing, the film wouldn’t be what it is without its gorgeous black and white cinematography, ambient soundtrack, chilling imagery and incredible performances.

The choice to shoot the film in black and white is, in my view, totally justified. It strengthens the remoteness and disconnection the two keepers experience. There’re scenes set outside during the night where it’s so dark, the sky and the ocean look like outer space, crystallizing the characters’ isolation. Many have compared The Lighthouse to the works of H.P. Lovecraft and while thematically they couldn’t be any more different, some images are absolutely reminiscent of the disgust and existential dread of Lovecraft.

The Lighthouse truly takes you to another world, a world where no one can help and nothing is certain.

I can see myself seeing The Lighthouse again and again and having a different interpretation each time. With its engaging characters and haunting atmosphere, there is definitely a message in the film, a message that’s ambivalent enough to provoke discussion but clear enough to warrant it.

I give The Lighthouse a strong 8 out of 10.