The Lighthouse (2019)

Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity whilst living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Director:

Robert Eggers

Writers:

Robert Eggers, Max Eggers

Stars:

Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 25 wins & 92 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Pattinson	...	Thomas Howard
Willem Dafoe	...	Thomas Wake
Valeriia Karaman	...	Mermaid
Logan Hawkes	...	Ephraim Winslow
Kyla Nicolle	...	Woman on the Rocks
Shaun Clarke	...	Departing Wickie
Pierre Richard	...	Departing Assistant Wickie
Preston Hudson	...	Tender Mate
Jeffrey Cruts	...	Tender Mate (as Jeff Cruts)

Storyline

As the wavering cry of the foghorn fills the air, the taciturn former lumberjack, Ephraim Winslow, and the grizzled lighthouse keeper, Thomas Wake, set foot in a secluded and perpetually grey islet off the coast of late-19th-century New England. For the following four weeks of back-breaking work and unfavourable conditions, the tight-lipped men will have no one else for company except for each other, forced to endure irritating idiosyncrasies, bottled-up resentment, and burgeoning hatred. Then, amid bad omens, a furious and unending squall maroons the pale beacon's keepers in the already inhospitable volcanic rock, paving the way for a prolonged period of feral hunger; excruciating agony; manic isolation, and horrible booze-addled visions. Now, the eerie stranglehold of insanity tightens. Is there an escape from the wall-less prison of the mind?

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Plot Keywords:

mermaid | lighthouse | storm | underwater scene | hallucination | 

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Taglines:

The light has its mysteries.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, nudity, violence, disturbing images, and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lighthouse

Filming Locations:

Cape Forchu, Nova Scotia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$427,797, 20 October 2019

Gross USA:

$10,867,104

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,267,104

Company Credits

Production Co:

A24, New Regency Pictures, Parts and Labor

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.19 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson stated that they barely spoke a word to each other on set and were too exhausted to hang out together after a day of shooting because filming was so physically demanding due to the miserable weather conditions. While Pattinson stayed at a normal hotel with the rest of the film crew during the shot, Dafoe lived in a little fisherman cottage in solitude. On set, on the other hand, Pattinson would tend to eat and stay by himself in filming breaks, while Dafoe stayed with the crew. Both stated that they liked each other very much as soon as they had their first real conversation a few months later.

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Quotes

Thomas Wake: What.
Ephraim Winslow: What.
Thomas Wake: What.
Ephraim Winslow: What.
Thomas Wake: What.
Ephraim Winslow: What.
Thomas Wake: What.
Ephraim Winslow: What.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Scariest Movie Scenes of 2019 (2019)

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Soundtracks

Doodle Let Me Go (Yaller Girls
Performed by A.L. Lloyd
Traditional arranged by A.L. Lloyd
Courtesy of Fellside Records Ltd.

User Reviews

Beautiful shot, experimental, but story was incoherent

This movie was visually stunning and I loved the use of movement and Willem Dafoe's intense dialogue and use of soliloquy's but some of the other elements felt contrived. Also the story is all over the place, I felt like the director just came up with stuff on a whim and just started shooting and just decided to throw a bunch of stuff together in the editing room. The tears in the movie felt contrived and some parts just didn't feel organic. But visually it's beautiful.