For some reason I hesitated to watch this masterful of psychological thriller, perhaps because I couldn't really get into the Director Robert Eggers' other widely-praised film, "The Witch". At least, I didn't see what critics and audiences who raved about it saw.
No such issue here, and sorry I waited so long. Eggers' compact Gordian Knot of a film is pieced together with Wes Anderson-esque precision, with solid writing, bravura performances by both leads and remarkable black-and-white camerawork in 5:4 (technically, 1.19:1, if IMDB are correct) aspect ratio that both contains the growing madness of the two characters but threatens to burst, at many points.
The remarkable Willem Dafoe is in fine form as the Lighthouse Keeper and the under-appreciated Robert Pattinson is every bit his equal as his seasonal assistant. Both are, in a way, trapped on a lonely island off the coast of New England, somewhere toward the end of the 19th Century. Mainly because, a couple of weeks into their stay a fierce storm hits the island with almost Biblical force, and the promised ship can't appear to take them to shore.
While scene and setting play a major role in the film, the relationship between the two main characters is its driving force. Dafoe's character seems to be already insane, and Pattinson's seems to gradually go insane as the film moves forward. Is it isolation? Does Pattinson's character have dark secrets that only Dafoe's character's relentless prodding is going to knock loose? Is there a monster living in the top floor of the eponymous Lighthouse? Is there really a Mermaid in the waters off shore?
As one disappointed Amazon reviewer points out, none of these questions is really answered adequately. If you like ambiguity, beautifully wrought from a Cinematic standpoint you will love "The Lighthouse". If you need your Knots steadily but completely unraveled to conclude in a Big Reveal, I'm afraid Eggers' weird masterpiece is not for you.
