The Lighthouse

⭐ 7.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

Unlike Silence of the Lambs, this is not the type of spooky movie I expected to like. I've watched all of Eggers movies now, and I think he's just not really for me. He's one of these super artsy guys that critics adore, but his movies don't make any money because audiences never like them. They are super weird, very dark, unsettling, cryptic. I think his movies are incredibly impressive in a lot of ways, but despite watching a lot of movies, I'm just not the type of high brow movie-watcher that enjoys these cerebral, sensory experiences.

As for the positives, there's a lot I can say. I think Willem Defoe's performance as this old, gruff sailor was incredible, especially his committment to the accent and his line delivery. In all of Egger's movies, the dialogue seems super authentic and transports you to the period. While I thought Pattinson was also great, I conversely thought the guy just couldn't stick to one accent. As a lover of accents, this matters to me!! But yeah, the performances where clearly amazing and the highlight. A later scene, where Defoe is making a speech with dirt in his mouth, certainly made me feel something.

I also loved the commitment in the set pieces. I think this is Egger's greatest strength. Not just how things look, but now people interact with stuff. In the first ten minutes you see Defoe pissing into a chamber pot, spraying everywhere, and farting once he gets into bed. Oh yeah! People back then were probably mostly disgusting, especially old sailors! There are a bunch of examples like that, and it feels super authentic. It's crazy that Eggers is so young, because he seems like an old guy with lots of experience using antiquated shit.

The movie also looked fantastic. It's very unique, using a square aspect ratio and filmed in black and white. It's done very effectively, and again makes everything feel old. But also you know what else would have probably looked nice? Colour! And a widescreen vista of the island! I know that probably sounds very shallow, because this was the artistic vision. I get that, but my monkey brain wanted to see some green and blue.

I feel like I'm talking myself into a higher score. This movie is basically about two lonely guys trapped at a lighthouse together and they started going a little cooky, and that's all done very effectively. Maybe too effectively? It gets very abstract and weird, and you can't tell what's real, and I get that that is the point but I don't like being confused for sixty minutes. So again, I get all that, I wish I was the smart kind of person to enjoy this, but it's kinda exhausting for me.

Anyways, I decided on a 6, but after writing through my thoughts, I'll boost it a bit. I'd say this is the kind of weird movie that will stick in my brain, but I've mostly forgotten his other movies by now. So maybe not. It's a good movie for the aesthete, but not so much for the simpletons like me.