Review: The Lighthouse

"The Light is mine"

Lads, say I, it took me 20 minutes to realize that there is nothing wrong with my subtitles. After the first long monologue by Defoe I even gave up reading them, coz reading them was not helping in any way. I can't suggest this movie to my students to whom I have made to believe that English is an easy language!

Interestingly, 'The Lighthouse' reminds me of another movie which I watched just a few days back. Actually, it reminded many other pieces of art, but I found an interesting resembles of it with 'Portrait of Lady on fire' (another beautiful movie to experience). Both movies have exotic lands, roaring seas, two beautiful people (beautiful for the portrait...), and their entangled relationship with each other.  But then one has maid another has mermaid...and octopus and crabs and a cranky bird, one is highly immaculate another is incredibly unhygienic (Characters drink kerosene with honey to get high!!), In one movie two people are in love, in another two people are also in almost love while drunk! One is full of colors..another is well...

This psychological-surreal-horror drama, directed by Robert Eggers, is set in the late 19th century. Two men, stubborn old man Thomas Wake (Willem Defoe) and hard-working Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) are sent to an isolated island off to the cost of New England as lightkeepers for few weeks. Thomas makes Winslow work all the heavy duties and he never lets him enter the lantern room. Thomas' inhuman treatment of Winslow, Winslow's constant desire to enter the lantern room, their twisted relation, the important role of nature and its effect over their psyche,  their dark pasts, bleak present, and unknown future make the film a wholesome piece of art which can be a treat for any cinephile. 

The concept of black and white is just amazing. I don't know the idea of the director behind it, maybe to cut the horror of colors to reach vast people (some people still couldn't deal with the last minutes of Mother!) and not to remain just people who love the genre but for me, it's like when we see something colorless we try to fill it with imaginary colors, we use our imaginations in the reality represented by the director and I think the movie is too constantly playing with imagination and reality.

Yes, I didn't mention Mother! movie randomly, in this and in the Lighthouse what I like the most is the representation of modern horror reality connecting with biblical or ancient myths. In both movies enraged earth and enraged sea perfectly presented. For me personally after the 'Frankenstein: Modern Prometheus' by Mery Shelley this movie is close enough to project the myth of Prometheus. It seems directors have done enough studies for it. Thomas wake seems Proteus who doesn't want to share the light with Ephraim Winslow who represents urban Prometheus. This deeply layered movie shows the ugly truth of colorless urban civilization in its best way. Green Goblin and Future Batman are at one of the best.

P.s. This movie reminds me of The Shining, Mother!, Midsommer, The Wasteland, Prometheus bound, Frankenstein, and Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Everyone Should read and watch.