Somewhere off America's east coast, two guys prepare to live a secluded life for a couple of months as lighthouse keepers on a barren outcropping of rock. This is the set-up for Mr. Eggers' newest movie, already famous for being made in black&white and using a squarish screen similar to the earliest screen frames in cinema; and also for being essentially a two character movie. Strike one, strike two, strike three - sounds like a recipe for disaster, on the surface. And, despite the many glowing reviews, it will never, of course, be really popular. But until recent times, a movie was considered a hit if it made just a little bit of money beyond its production costs.
By those once normal standards, The Lighthouse should be a hit. Kubrick explored similar thematic material in THE SHINING, but in that movie, Jack Torrance had victims (his wife and son) which were targets of his madness. These lighthouse keepers have no one but each other on which to unleash their growing rages. No plot summary can ever get at the energy, creepiness and intensity that permeates this masterpiece. Finally the movie becomes a shocking vision of the human condition: humanity on the edge, self-destructive and filled with rage - horror, indeed.
Review of The Lighthouse
