The Lighthouse (2019) Review

"Why'd you spill your beans?"
-Thomas Wake



Two lighthouse keepers, Thomas (Willem Dafoe) and Ephraim (Robert Pattinson), begin their month-long watch on a remote island.  As the days go on, paranoia and isolation begins to get to both men and they start losing their sanity.


Spoilers ahead.  Seriously, don't read beyond this point.  The Lighthouse is one of the best movies of the year and I highly recommend it.  Spoilers ahead!!!  You've been warned.


What Works:

Pattinson and Dafoe give brilliant performances.  They are the best parts of this movie and I firmly expect them both to be nominated for Oscars.  They are nothing short of incredible and get lost in their characters.  Their interactions are the crux of the movie and they work extremely well together.

The Lighthouse is a beautiful film thanks to some exquisite lighting and cinematography.  The use of light and darkness is picturesque and the use of shadow is terrifying at times.  There is also some excellent shot composition that leaves an impression.

The sound design is also spectacular.  We frequently get a horn coming from the lighthouse, which is intense and a great tone-setter, but the best sound comes from the screams of a mermaid.  It's chilling to hear and made me shutter in the theater.

This movie fills you with a sense of dread from the beginning and doesn't let up.  You don't know what's real, you don't know who's telling the truth, and you have no idea where the story is going.  All you know is that something terrible is going to happen.  It brings you to the edge of your seat and doesn't let go.

Finally, there are a handful of funny moments throughout the film to give you a breather.  There are plenty of scenes with Thomas and Ephraim getting drunk and some humorous dialogue.  That are also a few dark moments that are so absurd that you can't help but laugh.  At one point, Ephraim kills a seagull and it's unexpectedly violent and over-the-top.  I didn't know what else to do besides laugh and how horrible it was.


What Sucks:

There is one scene in the movie I didn't care for and it comes near the end.  When Ephraim finally gets into the top of the lighthouse and sees into the light, we never actually see what he sees.  It's a moment I've seen a hundred times before in a hundred other psychological-horror movies.  It's the only moment in the film that feels like this and it reminds me of generic student films I watched in college.

One quick side note, the accents of the characters are really thick.  It makes the film feel very authentic, but I have a hard time with accents.  I don't have the ear for it.  I'm not holding it against the film at all, but I do want to watch it again with subtitles.  I just thought this was worth mentioning.


Verdict:

The Lighthouse is a chilling film with amazing performances and is a technical marvel.  It's one I won't stop thinking about for a long time.  There is one scene that feels very generic, but I loved the rest of the movie and it has absolutely got it going on.

 9/10: Great   

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