Time to spill me beans - A breakdown of 'The Lighthouse'

2020 has already been weird and fucked up for us all, so what better way to close out the year than with a breakdown and review of easily one of the strangest films I've ever seen; The Lighthouse. The Lighthouse was written and directed by Robert Eggers (Director of 'The Witch') and stars Willem Dafoe (Thomas Wake) alongside Robert Patterson (Ephraim Winslow) and as previously stated is one pretty messed up film... but does that mean it can't be good?

The only way to review this movie, and give it the credit it deserves, requires me to talk about the various 'layers' of the film and the probable metaphorical meaning I believe the viewers are left to piece together themselves once the credits role. I should say at this point, it's impossible to review a movie like this without giving plenty of spoilers so ye be warn'd.

At plot of the film sees Wake & Winslow surviving atop a lighthouse station alone during a 4 week period, with Wake effectively being the 'boss' of the Lighthouse and Winslow being his lackey; mainly cleaning and maintaining the lighthouse's deteriorating exterior. For a large portion of the first half of the movie we simply follow the two during their daily/evening tasks and are occasionally drip fed segments of horror/thriller through what we as viewers at this point assume are the nightmares of Winslow; including several scenes of sexual perversion and dead bodies submerging in the surrounding waters. It's Dafoe's superb acting that grabs you from the get go; with his frightful, wide-eyed glare literally piercing through the camera at times which paired with the superbly written dialect (best described as Shakespearean) prevents any thought of switching off early on.

"Should pale death, with treble dread, make the ocean caves our bed, God who hears the surges roll deign to save our suppliant soul." - Thomas Wake

It's not only the dialect that stands out as unusual however; its also the uncommonly used aspect ratio (approximately 1.19:1, which is practically square), paired with the 35mm black and white Double-X 5222 film which truly makes the film look and feel like an early piece of cinematography. My knowledge in this area of the industry is extremely limited, however I can comfortably say that these decisions in the cinematography make for a remarkable piece of film-making.

It's around an hour in that you'd start to take the film at more than just face value; with some very unusual conversations between the two characters creeping in and the nightmarish scenes of beached mermaids and dead bodies floating ashore becoming more frequent. It was around this point I wondered if the intent behind the film was to give insight into the effects of isolation on the brain and the gradual breakdown of sanity over time.

My suspicion was reinforced twice over with scenes delving deeper into the bizarre and down right insane, with one in particular seeing Dafoe's character ranting and glaring devilishly into the camera (without blinking once) for over 2 minutes! It's these uncomfortable camera shots, combined with vulgar scenes of implied sex on a mermaid and a character drinking water from a 'tainted' water supply, which make the final hour even more confusing that the first.

"If I had a steak... I'd fuck it." - Ephraim Winslow

SPOILER - Towards the end of the movie we learn that Winslow is not actually the man he goes by the name off and is rather on the run (sort of) for the murder of the real Winslow and it's at this point I pondered if the film was not meant to be taken literal at all. This is where I wondered if the lighthouse was in fact a metaphor for Winslow's subconscious and rather a place for him to come to terms/or not the mental strain of killing could take on a person.

My interpretation of the movie could be completely off base but let me give a couple of examples as to why I think this is a metaphorical movie rather than just another generic horror.

The first thing to point out is that the entire movie is set on a small, secluded piece of land with just a lighthouse and barn house atop it. In my mind this location is a visual representation of Winslow's mind, with the surrounding raging seas around depicting his frustration and entrapment.

The character Wake is seen to take control of Winslow at the start by belittling him and shouting him down when he tries to think for himself. Also he is later found out to be a liar in his own right before bizarrely denying ever lying in the first place. I believe Wake is the part of Winslow that holds him back from exploring the truth of the situation and revels in knowing the truth and keeping it from him. (Wake doesn't want Winslow to see the lighthouse light which I believe is meant to be a metaphor for the truth)

Winslow is attacked on many occasions by a persistent seagull; which I think is a metaphor of his guilt quite literally 'pecking' at him, tormenting him until he lashes out, and ends it by murdering the bird/ending his guilt and opening him up to seeing the truth.

SUPER SPOILER - The final shot of the film see's Winslow staring into the lighthouse beacon and breaking into manic laughter which quickly turns to distorted screams of pain. I believe it's at this point that Winslow is finally facing his indiscretions and breaking down because of it.

So yeah, a pretty f'ed up film that's not only well written, directed and filmed but also extremely well acted. Both Robert Patterson and Willem Dafoe's performances are Oscar worthy and reason alone to watch the film if nothing else, Say I.

If you do happen to watch it, let me know your thoughts.

Watch The Lighthouse | Prime Video (amazon.co.uk)

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