Abby McNett
There are films that have the power to inspire who you are as a person. The Cell molded me early on, then Being John Malcovich, and later Mad Max: Fury Road. These films became a part of my life. I rewatch them time and time again, and feel the inspiration they gave me each time. The Lighthouse has become another of these films that will stay with me forever. I saw the film on a dark rainy day, and after I left the theatre I felt like I was still in the same universe that the film created.
I had just followed the journey of two men descending into madness. The lighthouse is the second film by Robert Eggers, and to me the better of the two. I still hear many people say The VVitch greatly inspired them, and I still see fan art filling my instagram feed years later. It didn’t quite strike a cord that The Lighthouse did for me. Some critics say that the plot is weak, and the ending is a cliffhanger. I didn’t feel that way, I saw it as journey with a deeper meaning. If you brush up on Greek mythology, and carefully listen to Willem Dafoe’s lines you’ll have a better understanding of why the film ended the way it did. I went into this film expecting to see a piece of art. That’s exactly what I witnessed. Every frame, every camera angle was perfection. The performances are the best I’ve seen in a film in a very long time, and maybe even the best I’ve ever seen. Both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson show every emotion from pure ecstasy to the deepest depravity. In the end it’s a tale of two men descending into madness on a small island, with nothing but a strange lighthouse.
I didn’t expect a cut and dry story, and I don’t like having my hand held during a film. The Lighthouse refused to do that, it assumes you are able to make your own observations. Everyone will leave The Lighthouse with their own theories. In all honesty it isn’t a movie for everyone, but it is a movie catering to people like me. I will revisit The Lighthouse throughout the years, and each time I will be left with that same inspiration I left with the first time. Robert Eggers may be the best directer working today, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
