In one way or another, the current Oscar season feels out of place without some representation from A24. Considering that by the time that The Lighthouse (2019) arrived they had two or three highly acclaimed awards contenders, it’s impressive to note that this was one of those years where they fell short. Coming off of the charming adventure film Low Tide (2019), director Robert Eggers’ second film for the studio proved to be an even bigger hit, immediately catapulting him into the pantheon of great modern horror directors. Much like his peer Ari Aster, the sophomore film was a bit of a detour from The Witch (2015) in tone. Even then, nobody would’ve expected a film of two men going mad to be their best shot at an Oscar. It happened, and much like the lead performances, the lunacy is part of its bigger appeal.
The story begins one night when Robert and brother Max Eggers were trying to figure out how to break into the industry. At the time, the idea for the film that would become The Witch hadn’t met any takers. Eventually, they settled on trying to adapt Edgar Allen Poe’s unfinished short story “The Light-House” which was a ghost story. Ideas spread from there, but nothing really took hold. It wasn’t until they landed on a 19th-century myth that took place at Smalls Lighthouse in Wales. It was said that one man died and the other went crazy. When it was revealed that both were named Thomas, Robert became curious to explore how that applies to identity. Eggers was also said to have written the script while listening to YouTube compilations of subwoofer rumblings, waves crashing, wind blowing, and foghorns. As the idea began steamrolling, it went on the backburner as The Witch was finally sold.
With the success of Eggers’ directorial debut, they returned to The Lighthouse for a few reasons. The most noteworthy was that Robert believed that if he was going to be miserable again, he might as well laugh. They began to do research, focusing on authors like Herman Melville and Robert Louis Stevenson for nautical stories as well as H.P. Lovecraft for the supernatural elements and Sarah Orne Jewett for local color works. The story would be dialect-heavy based on the actual accents of real-life farmers and fishermen. It was also said the examination of male bonding was influenced by Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, and Sam Shephard. Every detail was thoroughly planned, and even the aspect ratio for the black and white cinematography was written on the first page of every screenplay. Producers wanted the film to be widescreen to emphasize the craft, but Eggers insisted that this was to feel like a much older film, as if released way before 1930.
Casting was also relatively easy. Both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson approached Eggers separately claiming that they wanted to work with him. In some respect, The Lighthouse characters were written for them, even if their approaches were different. Dafoe was eager to do table reads and practice while Pattinson wanted to jump in and surprise even himself. Likewise, their time onset was comically mismatched with Dafoe living in a fisherman’s cottage and Pattinson in a normal hotel with the film crew. Meanwhile on the set, Pattinson kept to himself while Dafoe was very friendly with others. It is said that they didn’t become friends until months later when doing press.
The central lighthouse proved to have a few optical illusions. The exterior was a 70-foot lighthouse that could withstand 120-km winds on Cape Forchu in Nova Scotia, Canada. The interiors were done in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Many of the supplies around the set were labeled as lighthouse equipment to cut down on theft. Given that there were three major hurricane storms while filming, they were able to use them instead of building costly machines to simulate the dangerous weather. They also had to digitally input the seagulls who couldn’t migrate there. Because of this, they only shot scenes involving Pattinson walking into the water when the tide was lower for fear of losing him in the waves.
The camerawork had its own loftiness. They mostly had to film in Halifax because of how difficult it would be to shoot inside. With many of the cameras being reflective of older cameras, this meant that aspects of the set had to change as well. For example, the lighting was often blindingly bright so that certain textures would come up on camera. Elsewhere, scenes often had to be reshot upwards of 25 times because of the weather fogging up the lens and breaking equipment down. It was also said that the composer Mark Koven helped to make the film have more of a haunting tone after Dafoe and Pattinson gave fairly broad performances. It wasn’t until they made more organic sounds like glass and wood scratching mixed with elements of Bernard Herrmann that they landed on the sound.
The chemistry among actors was also imperative to the film’s success. Eggers encouraged both of them to not only act with region-specific accents but suggested that they say the first line of their third exchange faster than they began. There was a cadence to everything that flowed for the director, and it benefitted moments like Dafoe’s lobster monologue which was shot in one take with Eggers claiming that Dafoe didn’t blink once for two whole minutes. Dafoe, who was also afraid of heights, filmed his scenes like a trooper without complaining. At points, Pattinson wanted to punch Eggers for putting him through miserable conditions, but altogether they enjoyed their time on set.
A certain detail that is often questioned is whether the film is supposed to be homoerotic. There’s a lot of detail, including a lot on the cutting room floor, that would suggest this read. Pattinson is shy to call the men gay though suggests there is reading there. Meanwhile, Eggers has said on multiple occasions: "Nothing good can happen when two men are trapped alone in a giant phallus." It was also said that he wanted to have a shot of the lighthouse transition into a full-on erection. He had to cut it out in order to please financiers, making a lot of the more genital-centric imagery disappear. Given that there’s other moments of the film that involve mermaid sex that reveals genitals inspired by sharks, there’s clearly some sexual read of the film to be had and it's clear that Eggers is endlessly amused by the juvenile perspective.
Upon completing the 35 days of principal photography, they came to the dilemma of whether they wanted to tear down the lighthouse. A few of the crew members suggested that they would do upkeep on it, but it was ultimately decided that this was a bad idea since it was made of wood and didn’t actually function properly. They tore it down and proceeded to have one of the most exciting press tours that A24 has produced. Talks of Pattinson masturbating and Dafoe farting became the stuff of lore. It was this oddball film that was unlike anything else the studio had produced to date. The fact that nobody could agree on a specific genre showed how singular the work was.
The film premiered at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews. It was soon followed by a successful theatrical release that found it making $18.3 million internationally. As Pattinson’s second A24 film in 2019 after High Life (2019), it was evidence that he was heading into an interesting and weird direction for his career. In fact, it was announced midway through the press tour that he would be starring in The Batman (2022). Meanwhile, this was Dafoe’s A24 follow-up to The Florida Project (2019), which got him an Oscar nomination. It quickly became one of the most discussed films from the studio for the year with it forming a cult following that launched Eggers into a camp of highly acclaimed filmmakers. It was so successful that in 2020, the mermaid carving used by Pattinson in the film was auctioned to benefit the NYC Food Bank for $110,750 to an anonymous buyer.
Overall the film was a giant success. On critics aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, it earned a 90% rating. Steven Crum of Crum on Showbiz lead the enthusiasm when suggesting that “This psychological horror drama is jammed with nightmarish imagery and tour de force acting.” Dustin Chang of Floating World shared the sentiment when noting “The Lighthouse is a crazy hallucinogenic trip that is extremely original. The two actors' physiognomy is very well used. There are many unforgettable imageries. The Lighthouse is a quite unique movie watching experience.” The few who disagreed included Simran Hans of Observer (UK), who claimed “The lewd, overwrought, Herman Melville-inspired dialogue is alternately mumbled and shouted, the intense, grand guignol performances more interesting as an experiment than conducive to eliciting meaning.”
What’s possibly the most impressive thing about The Lighthouse is that it became the only A24 film to receive any Oscar nomination that year. It received a Best Cinematography nomination for Jarin Blaschke, which given the effort put into making it look old and ancient is doubly warranted. While other films like The Farewell (2019) would appear at the Golden Globes and Uncut Gems (2019) elsewhere, The Lighthouse remains their towering achievement for the year. It is funny however to note that it was also nominated for an AARP Movies for Grownup Awards for Best Buddy Picture against films like A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019) and The Two Popes (2019).
For what it’s worth, things are looking up for Eggers. Following two back-to-back successes critically and financially, he's set to release his third film The Northman (2022) for A24 sometime in 2022 with his most high profile cast yet. Meanwhile, Dafoe would go on to become Letterboxd’s highest watched actor in 2021, and Pattinson is set to dazzle screens in The Batman, promising a more emo version of the character. As far as films go, The Lighthouse is one of the more memorable and exciting titles the studio released. While this one is a bit unorthodox, it doesn’t compare to the next film that they released. It was the start of a new partnership and one that may seem very Un-A24 on its surface, especially as it looks like something you’d more see on The Discovery Channel than an indie theater chain.
Coming Up Next: The Elephant Queen (2019)
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