The Lighthouse
Dir. Robert Eggers / Dur. 110 mins / Country. USA
Festival Strand:- Cult Gala
In A Nutshell:- Isolation, guilt, fear, anger, madness, a tinge of the supernatural and more come together in a genre-defying blend for the tale of two cut-off lighthouse keepers
The Good:- There a distinctive style right from the off both visually and linguistically - visually in the use of black and white film shot in 4:3 (i.e. non-widescreen) to create a vintage and claustrophobic feel and linguistically in the stylised 19th century nautical language the two main characters employ. It’s essentially a two-hander between Willem Dafoe’s grizzled old sea dog and Robert Pattinson’s brooding first timer and the power play between the two of them forms the core of the film. Pattinson’s on good form but the movie really belongs to Dafoe who definitely seems to be revelling in his role (and rightly so). The sets and location adds to the feeling of isolation and them being trapped while the direction plays with the notion of questioning whether what we’re seeing is the truth or not. It’s pretty grim in places but can be surprisingly funny as well.
The Bad:- The only minor niggle that I had was that Robert pattinson’s accent felt like it was slipping a few times but it;s only a minor niggle. Also (no reflection on the film), I had chosen a screening with full audio description without realising it which was a little distracting (I’m definitely not having a go at subtitling - it’s great that they cater for viewers with hearing difficulties at the festival - I just wish I’d been paying more attention when I booked it as I’d rather have watched them without*)
The Verdict:- An absolute smash - loved it. This is definitely in the top set of films for this year’s fest (I’m not alone in this opinion as it was apparently so popular that they added extra screenings for it).
The Venue / Intro / Q&A:- Back at the custom-built for the festival Embankment Garden Cinema for this one. Director Robert Eggers and actor Willem Dafoe were on hand for a Q&A. The buildings were all completely constructed on the island for the shoot (which was weather-beaten and inhospitable). Willem Dafoe came across as very charming and easygoing - when questioned about his method, he said that, if a director builds a complete world for him to play in (as Eggers had done), it’s very easy to turn up and say your lines. For the duration of the shoot, he lived in a fisherman’s cottage nearby. He said that, during the shoot, he didn't really get to know Pattinson as he’s a private person and they wer shooting long days but has got to know him better subsequently.
* “But you watch foreign films with subtitles?” Yes, but I speak English so don’t need them for an English language film.
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