The Lighthouse * * *
The Lighthouse is like a play written by an up and coming playwright with a head full of ideas that wont quite come together to make a satisfactory whole.
Renowned for his last audacious and surprise success, The Witch , once again you feel that Writer/Director Robert Eggers, is so excited by the scenes and dialogue that he has written (not to mention free reign given to the actors) that he hasn't thought through if they actually contribute to the plot. It's like Eggers hopes some of these scenes will provide an answer as to where all this heading. That's not to say they are bad scenes. Some are outstanding in tension and superbly acted, but I struggle to see what contribution they are making to the overall story.
The Lighthouse is set in the nineteenth century. Two men are managing an isolated lighthouse off the coast of New England.
Some reviewers have mentioned there is a lot of masturbation in this film and watching it I have to say - yes there is - indeed there is! There are also a lot of scenes with the younger guy having a wank.... Oh! is that what they were referring to when they said masturbation? I was thinking something else.
Are these one and the same men? Is one nothing more than the imagination of the other? Is one so riddled with guilt over past actions he is going insane? Is all that we are seeing hallucinations from alcoholism? (The drinking is terrifying).
Will the black and white photography, the darkness, the physical filth and the griminess bring it all together? Or is this just another pale imitation of an early David Lynch film? It's aurally decorated to tedium with wind, gulls, foghorns, coal fired engines and farts - yes there are a lot of farts.
Honestly its all too much, not just for us, but also for the bloke who wrote it as far as I can tell. It's like he wants to reference nearly every sea faring myth and old sailors tales. It's half baked. It's acceptance hinges upon our willingness to share with the author that filming his ideas is more important than the discipline required to make it whole. But apparently some people don't mind that. And, to be honest, often I don't either. I love being invited to draw my own conclusion. Better than a stapled together contrived ending any time.
But there is something about The Lighthouse that just doesn't work for me. The loose ends I am invited to tie together just don't inspire me to be bothered. It's like being asked to wash the dishes after a meal in a restaurant.
In fairness it looks really good. Beautifully shot in monochrome and boxed up in a screen that is almost square, it looks like a 1950's film noir.. (Except in a 1950's film there would actually be a plot).
Incidentally, I'm damned if I could see where the horror and suspense was. In the scheme of things they were negligible. I didn't' jump or grimace one. Looked at my watch a few times though.
Renowned for his last audacious and surprise success, The Witch , once again you feel that Writer/Director Robert Eggers, is so excited by the scenes and dialogue that he has written (not to mention free reign given to the actors) that he hasn't thought through if they actually contribute to the plot. It's like Eggers hopes some of these scenes will provide an answer as to where all this heading. That's not to say they are bad scenes. Some are outstanding in tension and superbly acted, but I struggle to see what contribution they are making to the overall story.
The Lighthouse is set in the nineteenth century. Two men are managing an isolated lighthouse off the coast of New England.
Some reviewers have mentioned there is a lot of masturbation in this film and watching it I have to say - yes there is - indeed there is! There are also a lot of scenes with the younger guy having a wank.... Oh! is that what they were referring to when they said masturbation? I was thinking something else.
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| And the boys sing... "I want to marry a lighthouse keeper..." |
Will the black and white photography, the darkness, the physical filth and the griminess bring it all together? Or is this just another pale imitation of an early David Lynch film? It's aurally decorated to tedium with wind, gulls, foghorns, coal fired engines and farts - yes there are a lot of farts.
Honestly its all too much, not just for us, but also for the bloke who wrote it as far as I can tell. It's like he wants to reference nearly every sea faring myth and old sailors tales. It's half baked. It's acceptance hinges upon our willingness to share with the author that filming his ideas is more important than the discipline required to make it whole. But apparently some people don't mind that. And, to be honest, often I don't either. I love being invited to draw my own conclusion. Better than a stapled together contrived ending any time.
But there is something about The Lighthouse that just doesn't work for me. The loose ends I am invited to tie together just don't inspire me to be bothered. It's like being asked to wash the dishes after a meal in a restaurant.
In fairness it looks really good. Beautifully shot in monochrome and boxed up in a screen that is almost square, it looks like a 1950's film noir.. (Except in a 1950's film there would actually be a plot).
Incidentally, I'm damned if I could see where the horror and suspense was. In the scheme of things they were negligible. I didn't' jump or grimace one. Looked at my watch a few times though.
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