The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse tells a story about two stranded sailors who are trying to do their job without going mad, or so it seems. For me this movie can be looked at in three different ways. The first is the obvious one: two sailors on an island, with their conflicts, showing a supervisor–employee relationship, and getting more intimate than they would like. Time blurs so much that days do not start or end. Both have different recollections of what is really going on, and you, as the viewer, have less and less of a clue about what is happening. A big fever dream. The second viewing is through a mythological lens. You have the lighthouse with its ever shining light that only Thomas Wake is allowed to see. Whatever Thomas Howard does, he is not allowed near it. That drives him crazy and consumes him. He does everything he can to finally see the light, but it does not enlighten him, it blinds him. The Prometheus myth is clear: wanting to steal the light, rebelling against his superior, and dying while having his liver eaten by a bird (or a seagull). There is also a touch of Sisyphus, with Thomas Howard doing the same hard work day in, day out. The third viewing is the one I like most. I believe you can see both Thomases as one, two sides of the same coin. We know that Thomas Howard has a guilty conscience from his old job, something that still bothers him even though he keeps it carefully bottled up. Maybe this is the real reason he does not drink, to keep his mind focused so he can repress. But as time goes on and he is stuck on that rock in the middle of nowhere, he cannot run from his conscience anymore. Thomas Wake warns him not to “spill the beans” and to keep those memories locked away, but Thomas Howard cannot take it anymore. He destroys his lifeboat, keeping himself on that island as punishment. And the more mad “both” of them are, the more his guilt eats him alive, like the seagulls at the end. Thomas Howard also accuses Thomas Wake of killing his previous helper, the one-eyed man, maybe something he is projecting, maybe something he is reliving through his conscience in the form of "another" Thomas, sharing time with him on that rock. The movie is definitely one of a kind. I love that it can be seen through different lenses without giving a single “right” answer. The black and white is a good choice, both Thomases blend into each other, not even color is there to differentiate them, and the light, that white in a dark grey world, gains more meaning. I enjoyed the movie and loved the room for interpretation, but for me the acting is what makes it a great one.