The Lighthouse
Wow, what a movie. Brilliant acting, delightful cinematography, and an artistic script that leaves much up to your own interpretation. It’s a character study that has some iconic moments shown between Pattinson and Dafoe.
Additionally, the screenwriting has some stellar dialogue. Crazy monologues are followed up with some intense moments. There’s a lot of different themes going on, but yet not too on-the-nose so that you’re left to figure out what it all stands for.
The cinematography also stands out. Everything in black and white. A unique aspect ratio. Some shots that recreate iconic art pieces as well as some that could stand for art on their own.
It’s also an excellent, unique take on horror. It’s scary, but more so in the psychological sense. Sure, there are a couple spooky and paranormal moments, but there’s much more fleshed out in the subconscious mind of these characters. It definitely unsettled me at the end, but in a great way.
This is by far one of my favorite movies I’ve seen this year. I have mixed opinions on a lot of A24 films in general because I feel they’re either too “artsy” with shoddy writing or too ambiguous in general. But I think this one hit the home run and is an instant favorite of mine.