The Lighthouse

Awe-inspiring, gorgeously shot, and narratively confident inside and out, this film is the perfect psychological horror. With Robert Eggers' artistic choice of lighting, score, and shot composition, The Lighthouse knows exactly what it wants to be, and it clearly shows. Throughout my watch, this was one of the only films where I began to feel like I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, struggling to analyze its descent into madness. I was still absolutely hooked and chilled to the bone, don’t get me wrong. But was I over-analyzing it? Was I missing some underlying symbols? After reading up afterwards, it turns out what I understood throughout my watch, turned out to be EXACTLY what had happened. The ability to simultaneously fool you as a viewer but NOT at the same time; it was at that moment that I knew The Lighthouse was something special and would be an instant classic. In it, Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson combine their incredible talents to accomplish a remarkable display of dialogue, emotion, and utter creativity as New England lighthouse keepers, performances that will undoubtedly solidify themselves as a highlight of their careers. The duo displayed some of the best acting I have ever seen, working with each other to capture moments of vulnerability and pure insanity. It’s eerie, it’s grave, it’s disturbing enough that it constantly forces you to demand more, all in hopes to uncover its complete mystery. The Lighthouse, with its profound direction, cinematography, and production design, transports you to its desolate shore, leaving you entirely fascinated with its beauty and hypnotic charm.