Lighthouse review- a critique by Impression Blend

Full text transcript of the Lighthouse review:

Hi, everyone, I’m Mariana, and no, I could not resist doing this review in black and white because I am here to talk about one of my most anticipated films of this year, The Lighthouse. The film is set in the 80s and 90s and centers around to Lighthouse Keepers played by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, who are stationed on a remote island in New England and slowly start losing their sanity as time goes by. The thing about the lighthouse is that it is simultaneously easy and difficult to describe. I just told you the simple premise. However, that does not necessarily explain what this film is really like. It has funny moments, but I wouldn’t really call it a comedy. I’ve heard it described as psychological horror, but I don’t think it really fits into that box either. It has some great character moments next to mythology, and it’s neither a drama nor a fantasy. The Lighthouse is one of those films that’s kind of a genre of its own, which is a beautiful thing, even though a big part of my experience watching it can be summarized as what, what, what, what? Now, I am a big fan of the WHICH the previous film by Robert Eggers and his directorial debut. It’s not only one of my favorite horror films, but actually one of my favorite films in general. And if you’ve seen it, you know that some of it is open to interpretation. Now, when it comes to the director’s second feature, The Lighthouse, most of it is open to interpretation. And if you’re someone who likes definite answers, this one may be a bit of a challenge.

On its surface, the lighthouse is a gradual descent into madness, and it’s a purposefully disorienting experience. The further into the film you get, the more questions you start asking how long has it been? What is true and what is a lie? Are the characters lying to themselves or just to each other? What is actually part of their imagination? How much of this is even real? However, while you can take it at face value, that is going to leave you wondering about a lot of the choices this film makes. And that is where you can see that there is a lot of room to dig deeper for meaning and try to make sense of all of this ambiguity. What stood out the most to me is the power struggle between the two men, the old seasoned keeper, trying to hold on to his position and trying to maintain that he is the one in charge while keeping certain things and the responsibilities to himself versus the younger man who is trying to work his way up while doing what’s right. So he eventually doesn’t have to answer to anyone. But with the two men isolated and trying to figure out who the other person is, you know, things are bound to get a lot more intense. Is there going to be a breaking point? Where does the madness come in? What does it all say about masculinity, which is also a very prominent theme, just like femininity was a big part of the which add to that allusions to Greek mythology and classic literature.

And you have a film that can fuel discussion for hours while also potentially making you want to do some research and learn more about all of these references. I will say, though, this ambiguity in the storytelling did not 100 percent work for me. Not that I need everything explained when I’m watching a film. We all know that’s not true. And if you don’t know that about me, then you’re probably not subscribed, in which case you should definitely subscribe to my channel. But something about this kept me from fully connecting with what I was watching. That means that while I was very interested in the film and I actually found it fascinating, I wasn’t that emotionally invested in it. And having an emotional response to a piece of art is important because that is kind of part of what artists are supposed to do. It’s part of the point. This is obviously something that’s going to be different from one person to another. But if I don’t feel affected by what I’m watching, if I don’t have a strong emotional response, then it’s not fully working for me because as much as I can be intellectually invested in the film, art is not a math problem also. And this is a small nit pick, but I am apparently one of the five people on planet Earth who don’t find fart jokes funny, small part of the movie. I realize this not a big deal, but I could have done without those.

To get back to the positives of the writing, though, I will say that the ending worked for me. One hundred and fifty percent. I loved it and. The third act in general was my favorite portion of the film by far. Also, I actually found the dialogue to be surprisingly quotable. Obviously, from the visual standpoint, the light house is a treat and something that absolutely deserves to be experienced on the big screen. The cinematography is out of this world and there are some of the most stunning shots I’ve seen not just this year, but within the past few years for sure. Also, I am here yet again praising the score. I don’t even know what my favorite score of twenty nineteen is anymore, but this one is by Mark Corven, who wrote the fantastic score for the Witch, and he knocks it out of the park once again, just the perfect score for this film and the foghorn being integrated is so epic. Did not know how much I needed more foghorn in my life. Finally the performances the lighthouse would not have been the film that it is without the two leads. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson both are award worthy performances, probably also both career best performances. And while I expected Willem Dafoe to steal the show, which he almost does, I have to say that Pattinson totally holds his own and is just as strong of a screen presence. So in the end, to say that the lighthouse leaves you wondering, what the hell did you just witness is an understatement.

But the more I think about this film, the more I like it. It is not going to be a film for everyone, particularly because of its ambiguity. But it is definitely the film to watch for people who enjoy artistic cinema and strong artistic choices. Personally, while I did not love it as much as I loved the which, I still thought it was a really, really good film. And I found it to be a fascinating experience that is open to interpretation. And I am going to give the White House an eight out of 10. It is very possible that I would enjoy this film more on a second viewing. But for now, this is what I’m going with and those are my initial thoughts. And I am so unbelievably excited for that reimagining of Nosferatu that Robert Eggers is supposedly working on. And that’s it for this video. I hope you guys enjoyed it. And of course, as always, I would love to talk to you about this movie in the comments below. There is so much to discuss. Please warn people about spoilers if you are going to get into spoilers and spoiler free theories, because I definitely have some of those as well. But yes, please, let’s talk about it in the comments. I hope you guys enjoyed this video. And if you did, please don’t forget to give it a thumbs up. Share it. Subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already and I hope you’re having a wonderful day. I will see you very soon in my next video. Bye.