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I've been staring at the computer screen for nearly an hour trying to come up with the right words to begin my review for the weirdest movie I have ever seen — The Lighthouse.
Produced, co-written, and directed by Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse (R; 109 minutes) is a psychological horror flick starring method actors William Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. The film was released to limited screens in October 2019 and pulled in over $13 million against a $4 million budget. It received critical acclaim with a 92% "Certified Fresh" Rotten Tomatoes rating. It's now available to own on DVD, Blu-ray, Digital, and On-Demand from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
Loosely inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's The Light-House, the film is set in the late 19th-century and centers around Ephraim Winslow (played by Pattinson) taking a four-week job as a wickie for Thomas Wake (played by Dafoe), a lighthouse keeper on an isolated island off the coast of New England. On his very first day, he finds a scrimshaw of a mermaid in a hole in his cot. A sign of good luck?
Nope!
After seeing a one-eyed gull, Winslow believes the gulls are reincarnated sailors. Strange things occur over his four weeks stay there. Upon his final day, he's more than ready to leave the island. However, mother nature has other plans for him. A storm hits the seas and delays the ferry which was supposed to pick him up and leave supplies for Wake.
Winslow's insanity quickly unravels as he sees a naked mermaid washed up on the rocks. The longer he stays on the island, the more paranoid he becomes that Wake is trying to killing him.
Final Thoughts
Speaking of Oscars, earlier this week the film received an Academy Award for Best Cinematography nomination. The Lighthouse was shot in black-and-white with a 16x9 (1.19:1) pillar box presentation. The cinematography and production design are the two best features of the film (besides the acting).
I viewed the movie on DVD and the picture and sound qualities were the best one can expect from it. Special Features on the Blu-ray are The Lighthouse: A Dark & Stormy Tale, an audio commentary with co-writer & director Robert Eggers, and deleted scenes.
Overall, I was intrigued by The Lighthouse, a slow burner, similar in vain to 2015's The Witch, which was also directed by Robert Eggers. It's an extremely weird movie that I won't forget anytime soon.
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