Here's something that caught my attention--an interesting looking flick dedicated to a truly old-school style enough that it not only was shot in black and white, but in a 1:19:1 aspect ratio...which also happened to be a psychological horror film starring the Green Goblin and Edward Cullen going stir crazy in a macabre maritime setting. And it's from Robert Eggers, the director of 2015's nicely atmospheric 16th century set period piece The Witch. Both films share similarities--the characters speak in accents some viewers might find borderline incomprehensible, the New England atmosphere of overcast skies, and minds slowly being lost, but The Lighthouse goes all the way for something that's both pretty weird and pretty memorable.
Set in the 1890s or so, the film launches us right in as Robert Pattinson's character Thomas Howard arrives to work for a few weeks on a lighthouse currently supervized by Willem Dafoe growling his way through his lines as old sea dog Thomas Wake. Howard's stay is a job that defies all definitions of crumminess, as he toils at the hardest labor across the windswept island, even having to put up with guff from seagulls. Of course, just as both men are starting to warm up to one another, a storm hits in, and things only go downhill from there as sanity and sense become increasingly strained.
Off the bat, the black and white palette works well--the setting wouldn't be very colorful anyway, so it lends it just that right touch of atmosphere of oppression and murkiness. Even when it comes to blood, seawater, and droppings, it somehow makes them feel more viscous drained of color--that's why sometimes less can be more when you're aiming for a certain feel as here.
But the real draw of the show is the two stars. Dafoe is awesome--even when you realize, as the movie itself points out, that his character is a lot of nautical stereotypes rolled into one, but when he's standing there laying down ancient oceanic curses in one long take, the director really gets mileage from his visage and voice staring down on the viewer. Pattinson--who, if you ever had any doubts from Twilight, is actually a solid actor--likewise sells things all so well when his character starts spiralling the circles of demented lunacy. And from the looks of it? Both of them really did have to endure getting soaked on a regular basis, so all props to their craft for this one.
The tone jumps around a lot--from slightly silly gags to over the top snark, and there's a lot of surreal hallucination to add to how discordant it all feels. It becomes apparent that nothing can be taken at face value, and it's the kind of film that makes you constantly question what's really happening. To some, it might be a bit much, or a bit confusing--but I honestly liked it, creating something unsettling that's only somehow aided by the occasional random silliness. You might need to be in a specific mood to get the most out of it, but for the monologues and sudden shots of bizarre imagery, I'd say give it a look regardless.
The Lighthouse might not be the most accessible film ever made, but if you hunger for a unique piece of seawater-showered psychological dark comedy surreal horror...well, right now, it's the only one I can think of on the market, so hell, check it out!
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