The Lighthouse

Reviewing every movie I've watched because I downloaded letterboxd in December 2025 [3] 1st rewatch. First of all, what a film. I think this is one of those films that are more enjoyable the less you know what it means. It's ambiguous and that is it's strength. People can interpret it however they want and it still somewhat alings to whatever the hell this film is saying, which we probably never know no matter how hard we try. And that's good. David Lynch is happy. But since I didn't read mythologies just for the hell of it, I'll try my best to interpret what it is about. If you wanna skip to my interpretation, you can scroll down until you see it in [BOLD ALL CAPS]. I think I saw this during October or November in 2020. I'm not really sure but I specifically chose to watch it during Halloween season. It was a wild, wild experience. I knew I was in for a ride but I never expected it to be this... "O-ro-ro-ro-ro," as Robert Pattinson said in an interview. This is truly Robbie's best role yet and will probably be his best role. The performances in these are unsung and underappreciated. Both Willem and Robbie should've won awards for these. I usually like yapping about performances but the greatness of their roles in this speak for itself. The cinematography, tight 1:19:1 aspect ratio, the lighting, the set, everything. Perfect. It would be unnecessary for me to praise it, it's greatness speak for itself. This is truly Robert Egger's best work, and I highly believe he can never top this. Now... [INTERPRETATION] The popular interpretation of this film is that it's a retelling of the myth of Prometheus, which I like and align with, but it's too obvious in my opinion. And a bit boring. Here's my two cents:> "O what Protean forms swim up from men's minds and melt in hot Promethean plunder, scorching eyes, with divine shames and horror. And casting them down to Davy Jones."This film is about Thomas Howard (Robert Pattinson) is dead and is being punished for his crime of murder in purgatory which the island represents. This is why there's multiple messages of being departed, particularly from the living — the lighthouse itself, a place where it is miles away from human life, the sailor motifs which they constantly depart from land to work, the song "Doodle Let Me Go" which I think is used in this film as message from Howard that he wants to be let go of his punishment. It's easy to say that Howard was abused by his father as a child who saw him as a dog rather than his son which is why he hates to be bossed around has anger issues so bad to the point he almost kills his own boss. The entire film is him in a dream-like state during his eternal punishment and this "dream" is forced upon him and is another form of punishment as well —which I will explain further in later texts —hence even in the first half of the film, there's no proper sense of time which further proves that he is in a dream-like state due to the pain he is enduring. I like to think that this isn't Howard's first "dream" about the lighthouse. We see a hint of this in the scene after his confession (timestamp: 1:17:09) where he goes up to the platform outside the top of the lighthouse then finds a man who is tied up by rope only to find out that it's actually him. I think this is him almost waking up from the "dream" and then a naked Thomas Wake shines a beam of light into his eyes — blinding him again, making him return to his turmoil. This is why after this, we jump cut to him running outside in the morning and the narrative now confusing. Thomas Wake chased Howard with an axe yet says it was Howard was the one chasing him with the axe — the dream is now crumbling. Let's address the elephant in the room... Who or what is Thomas Wake. Wake is an avatar of all the older, damned souls that are being punished along with Howard but is now aWake — no longer blind like him but still trapped. The ship tattoo in his chest symbolizes that he is an entire crew of souls in one body and there's a cool little detail where there's one of those little ships inside a bottle (timestamp: 1:25:37) further symbolizing his/their imprisonment. This is why stories of his life keeps on changing because he is not just one person but a medium where all the souls can communicate with Howard. It's just not human souls either but supernatural beings as well — hence he can shapeshift into divine-like, lovecraftian deities and mythical creatures like mermaids, or a disembodied voice that echoes throughout the Lighthouse after his confession. These beings and people were tortured long before Thomas Howard's unknown demise which is why Wake constantly acts as a wiser elder bossing around a newbie.> "The others, still blind, yet in it see all the divine graces..."Suffice to say that Howard was abused by his father as a child who saw him as a dog rather than his son which is why he hates to be bossed around and has anger issues so bad to the point he killed his boss Ephraim Winslow. And that murderous intent still manifests in his time in purgatory. His greatest sin was never the murder but his easy desire of killing. That is why he calls him a "fastly a true blue wickie in the making," (timestamp: 45:03) because he's as rotten as them. But he's still a new damned soul, part of "the others" who ones that are still blind. Wake wants to keep him blind — he blinded him with the beam of light from his eyes and doesn't let Howard tend the light. The divine graces.> "...and to Fiddler's Green sent where no man is suffered to want or toil but is... ancient mutable and unchanging as the she who girdles 'round the globe."And for the last character — the light or the lantern. It represents the culmination of all the souls idea of the afterlife or heaven particularly Fiddler's Green which is the mythical afterlife for sailors and soldiers, particularly cavalrymen, envisioned as a paradise of perpetual dancing, drinking, and fiddle music. It's light constantly circles around the island — "round the globe" — like an omniscient presence. Could be a coincidence but the design of the light has grooves that looks similar to wheels within wheels which I like to think is a reference to the Ophanim. Thomas Wake likes to keep it for himself because he wants to go first and they've been waiting for so long that they have a relationship with it, a thing that no quiet wife could even replace. That's why he's obsessed with it so much that he even masturbates to it and comes back to life from getting buried alive just so he could try to stop Howard from getting inside. Howard, as we and Wake know, likes to keep things to himself but he can't fool anyone because deep down he wants to see the lantern as well — to finally get inside and go to the afterlife. But he does not know this yet at first. He's not someone who believes in tall tales but still subconsciously wants to go because even though he is no praying man he is God-fearing. But at the end, he is now a true blue wickie and said the toast by Wake in the beginning that he tried to say in the middle of the film but couldn't remember still, now said it perfectly by heart near the end. Keys in hand, he finally was able to get inside. The floor hatch opens by itself — the divine is now in control. When the light touches his face covered in dark blood, it makes it disappear, cleansing him from his sins of his suppliant soul. But he's no forgiven soul. He feels pleasure at first but when he tries to put his inside the lantern, it hurts him. First a twitch and a smile. Then finally, Rob's greatest scene put screen. He screams, screams, and screams. He cannot be here.> "Them's truth. You'll be punished."He falls back as if an invisible force pushed him and he spirals down the stairs. Then he finally wakes up. The seagulls eating him. Still blind. Still punished. Awaiting for another dream.> "Should pale death, with treble dread, make the ocean caves our bed, God who hear'st the surges roll, deign to save our suppliant soul."An incredible movie that felt like it was perfectly made for me. Top 5.