The Lighthouse: An American Myth

This is meant to be educational and my commentary is transformative so it falls under Fair Use. Since the subject of this video is an R-rated movie, it is not intended for kids.
Guys, The Lighthouse blew me away. I loved The Witch but this was even better. Eggers is a real director to follow. I can't wait to see what he does next. So sorry I haven't uploaded in so long. I'll have a video up soon addressing that. Big things are on the way!
Link to my Fiverr: www.fiverr.com...
Link to my Twitter: / imahaffeyfilm

[@finechina1977]

Wake is something of a scientist himself

[@k.w.2275]

Back to formula?!

[@tommyvasquez2708]

he offered him friendship but he spat in his face

[@fernandojaramillo2295]

Sleeeeeep

[@gabbybrowncreative]

He offered him lobster and he spat in his face

[@sleepyshocker]

Oh.

[@chasehimmelman188]

They filmed this shit in Nova Scotia Defoe came to one of our superstores and bought Cheerios

[@IvanPolyansky]

cool story bro

[@MalcolmReviews]

I guess he was tired of eating his lobster

[@Erick---]

stayHIGHplease good one ☝️🤣

[@1headphoneguy]

He said in an interview he loved the “cute fishing village” he stayed in during filming

[@hr0727]

Lmao right? I saw him too while they filming, it’s crazy how diligent Willem is

[@dombovver]

How long have we been reading these comments? 5 days, 2 minutes? Help me to recollect.

[@blackberry8615]

Thomas Wake OMG ITS WAKE

[@dorkle9085]

HAAAAARK!

[@randomname8778]

Ye like my lobster?

[@s.h1434]

You’re fond me of lobster, ain’t ye?

[@randomname8778]

@@s.h1434 Haaaaark! Hark, Triton! Hark! Bellow, bid our father, the sea king, rise from the depths, full foul in his fury, black waves teeming with salt-foam, to smother this young mouth with pungent slim … to choke ye, engorging your organs till ye turn blue and bloated with bilge and brine and can scream no more… only when he, crowned in cockle shells with slithering tentacled tail and steaming beard, take up his fell, be-finnèd arm - his coral-tined trident screeches banshee-like in the tempest and plunges right through yer gullet, bursting ye, a bulging bladder no more, but a blasted bloody film now - a nothing for the Harpies and the souls of dead sailors to peck and claw and feed upon only to be lapped up and swallowed by the infinite waters of the dread emperor himself… forgotten to any man, to any time, forgotten to any god or devil, forgotten even to the sea… for any stuff or part of Winslow, even any scantling of your soul, is Winslow no more, but is now itself the sea.

[@Burrick]

So it's either: Purgatory A curse coming true Two Greek mythological figures just chillin One guy going insane One guy's dying dream Or teo dudes losing their goddamn minds. Wow I love how open ended this film is.

[@MJGianesello]

actually, it's none of these

[@bully33]

Marco Gianesello So what is it ?

[@MJGianesello]

@@bully33 one guy, already kind of unstable from the get go, having his walls demolished by the stress of the situation and his state of mind going out of control, while at the same time being two people opposing each other as a coping mechanism for his inner conflict and desires, in this movie the distinction between what's real and what's psychological or symbolic is essentially meaningless, since eberything is filtered so brilliantly through the main character's perspective so there is not much of a point in trying to pin down what happens externally on that island, the reality of the movie is all that matters, as far as i know, we never even see the actual main character, howard and wake are both parts of him, although howard is much more likely to be the actual person and wake the construct

[@xipetotek8216]

@@MJGianesello lol that’s not the answer either

[@MJGianesello]

@@xipetotek8216 not necessarily, but yeah it is

[@blopdolf7365]

Idk man this is just the flapjack show going even crazier

[@TheKinoCorner]

There’s a great video on that. I forgot who made it but it’s somewhere here on KZbin

[@blopdolf7365]

The Kino Corner yeah I know altarnatehistoryhub’s second channel did it

[@ayllipkhieu8659]

Blop Dolf what’s the vid called🙌

[@stefanebner112]

@@ayllipkhieu8659 An intellectual perspective on "Flapjack"

[@RNJ142]

@@blopdolf7365 Knowledge hub

[@DeepEye1994]

Eggers said that he's not interested in making a modern day-set story, but he could someday make a post-apocalyptic story in a technologically regressed future, I can totally see him doing something in the vein of "Stalker".

[@TheKinoCorner]

Bringing up Stalker... Might be a video in the near future...

[@DeepEye1994]

@@TheKinoCorner I'll definitely check it out since I liked your analysis here! If only there was a way I could be notified of the release of the Stalker analysis... ;) *subscribes*

[@Landonias]

DeepEye1994 I have no mouth and I must scream

[@usmanjaved4449]

I get Bergman/Tarkovsky vibes from Eggers movies, could be great actually.

[@zachsutton9866]

Good I love his style and it's impressive how quickly and easily he established it

[@MyCovertNarcissism]

David Lynch cries at night because this isn't his movie.

[@gorehound3414]

Eraser head >>>>>>>>>> lighthouse

[@FireFortProductions]

VIO SCHOOL eraserhead overrated af

[@gorehound3414]

albi it’s not but you can have your opinion

[@hopelessent.1700]

albi not really. Nobody talks about it. I have it but I know the 5 yr development of the film must have been hell...

[@hopelessent.1700]

Nah I think he’s glad that it isn’t. Besides Lynch is more vague than The Lighthouse.

[@Vindicator12Music]

this movie shoulda won a TON of awards at the Academy..... it's criminal that it didn't

[@EyeShotFirst]

The Academy is a joke, and I stopped taking stock in anything praised by them.

[@nate742]

@@EyeShotFirst Parasite??

[@tigerburn81]

Sorry, but the hypocritical millionaires that vote love a good social commentary about oppressed social classes . . . and movies about Hollywood.

[@EyeShotFirst]

@@nate742 I'm not saying that they don't occasionally get things right. Amadeus deserved every Oscar it got...but more often than not, they shine a light on garbage, when a real masterpiece like The Lighthouse is completely ignored.

[@AlexA-qc9os]

Nate parasite was amazing but he was trying to say they don’t acknowledge other films just the same old plain shitty movies like explain how adam sandler got fucking robbed uncut gems was just amazing

[@shrinewitch]

An American Myth: Based on a Welsh true story & Greek Mythology.

[@TheKinoCorner]

A lot of us Americans are a mix of a bunch of nationalities, so it fits!

[@monicajewinsky]

Indeed. The myth of Prometheus: The thieving Titan that stole the gift of Fire from the Gods, and gifted it to humanity, only to be tied to a rock and mutilated by an Eagle for the rest of eternity. And the story of Smalls Lighthouse: In 1801, 20 miles off the coast of Wales, two men, Thomas Howell and Thomas Griffith, were on duty in the Lighthouse, when Griffith died suddenly in a random, freak accident. Howell, terrified at being accused of his murder, attempted to cover up the accident, and subsequently went insane.

[@OddLittleThing]

Makes sense, modern America is composite culture and nation

[@en6853]

Psycho I had no idea about the true part. Thank you for sharing

[@Ten_Thousand_Locusts]

@@TheKinoCorner no it fucking doesn't, stop trying to co-opt this story.

[@axinomancy]

Old Thomas references Poseidon at multiple times and (spoiler alert) appears as Poseidon at one point. He visits the lens privately multiple times and can apparently glimpse something heavenly in it, but isn't judged, as Young Thomas is. Perhaps that is because he represents pre-Christian pagan beliefs like the Greek pantheon. These virtuous pagans are not permitted to enter heaven, but reside in the first circle of Hell, according to Dante. In Dante, those in the first circle of Hell, Limbo, are not punished, but basically live their afterlives as they expected in the Greek pantheon. As another author wrote, "Their only punishment is that they now know that there is something higher - the true Paradise - but have no hope of ever attaining it." That would fall in line with Old Thomas's obsession with the lens, his only glimpse of true Paradise as representing these pre-Christian pagans through Poseidon. And Young Thomas's fate when approaching Paradise while unworthy.

[@kgpspyguy]

That's an interesting take actually.

[@BobPantsSpongeSquare97]

I think we should go back to worshipping the old gods

[@kgpspyguy]

@@BobPantsSpongeSquare97 N O W E S H O U L D N O T

[@BobPantsSpongeSquare97]

@@kgpspyguy yeah they're cool and the mythology is overall better than christian mythology. Zeus doesn't pretend to be an all loving god like the christian god who contradicts himself at every turn. And zeus is a straight up G who will take your wife if you offend him so that's pretty cool. And everything goes to hades so people who don't follow the same religions but are still morally good would be in the higher levels of the underworld

[@BobPantsSpongeSquare97]

@@kgpspyguy when trump let's loose the nukes and the fallout survivors forget about christianity and the newer religions, the old Greek, Norse, and Egyptian religions could become widespread again lol

[@ryandozier8053]

Does anyone else find the scariest scene to be when Tommy walks his “dog?” No? Take a look outside. After their brawl, the sea is calm and the day is clear. The tender is very much on its way.

[@ryandozier8053]

(ALSO, in the shot where Eggers emulates the Hypnos painting- Tommy is on top of the lighthouse. He grabs onto a body laid out on the observation deck, it’s himself: only he’s wearing Winslow’s soaked sweater. Thomas, still holding onto himself is then grabbed by a naked Wake who shines bright lights directly into his eyes- just a really cleaver way to show off the judgment facing Thomas for the murder of Ephraim Winslow? That scene keeps bringing me back.) - fantastic analysis! So many small details are fun to ponder, then there’s just the fact that they sip turpentine and honey. Wake slugs the mix down, goes on and exclaims- “MONKEY PUMP!” tremendous.

[@too_legit_to_be_fit]

Do you think he really dragged him out as a dog and buried him alive or was it a hallucination and he just dragged out a dead body

[@ryandozier8053]

Too_legit _to_be Personally? I think he must’ve been alive yeah? Unless he imagines the axe to the arm? The lighthouse leaves too many possibilities

[@BobPantsSpongeSquare97]

Yeah it's because finally Tommy is the master. The whole movie Thomas makes him do menial tasks that men at the time would otherwise make their wives do and how he is looked down upon as being unworthy of the light. Then he finally takes control and makes thomas his bitch ( dog ).

[@jonobrow]

Don't understand what you're getting at here. It's the scariest scene because the storm is over?

[@SAKOKAIAS]

Thomas Wake: You know, I'm something of a lighthouse keeper myself.

[@huntrofyou]

Ye know, I's something of a wickie meself

[@s.h1434]

Lol, this is gold!

[@legogeneralgrievous4218]

I missed the part where that's my problem

[@Etaiin]

8:19 the bird i think is supposed to be soul of the old assistant, this explains why the bird is constantly trying to get his attention and annoy him, Young Thomas is told to get oil to refill the lamp and the bird/assistant knows that this will bring thomas closer to the light, so the bird guards and blocks his path. Old Thomas telling young Thomas that "it's bad luck to kill a seabird" can be taken so literally here also, the bird was his only warning.

[@hawkeyenextgen7117]

What confuses me was how Thomas Howard killed the seagull without hesitation and in such a murderous manner knowing it would be bad luck.

[@fruitbythebecbec7165]

@@hawkeyenextgen7117 i don't think he believed it would actually be bad luck. i think he thought Tom was just going on about random shit

[@batjackattack5556]

and the bird has one eye

[@derekday3896]

The Prometheus and Proteus parallels run just on the surface of the story, but the two most overlooked characters in the movie I believe are the Mermaid, and the Light itself, "Veritas", as she is called by old man Thomas Wake in the script. In the ancient Greek myths, Prometheus steals fire from Zeus and gives it to man, who Prometheus loved. So Zeus creates a multi-layerd plan of punishment for Prometheus, first by creating Pandora. Pandora is created out of clay by Zeus as the first woman. She is given a box which she is forbidden to open lest she doom mankind. Of course, out of her own curiosity she curses man with death and disease. I believe then that Pandora has similarities to the mermaid, as she ultimately curses Ephraim and turns him mad. Not to mention the mermaid is made out of clay and is most likely planted by the old man. When Ephraim breaks the mermaid, he opens Pandora's box, but ironically believes that he is "free from the designs" when in fact he was doomed to be punished from the start. In another story told by Aesop, Prometheus creates Veritas, Goddess of Truth, out of clay. When Prometheus leaves his shop, his apprentice Dolos, a trickster, is so enchanted by Veritas, he decides to create an exact replica of her out of clay. He is so successful that he almost makes an identical copy, but runs out of time before Prometheus returns, leaving the feet of the fake incomplete. Prometheus confused by what he sees, has both of them walk towards him. Veritas, truth, stands upright while the fake trips over and beaks apart. The moral is that Truth reveals itself in time while lies fall apart. One other interesting note about the Light itself is that what Ephraim most likely finds in the light is a mirror! These where how lighthouses were constructed back then and would also run with the theme of Truth.

[@lasagnatitty2071]

Derek Day how did u learn so much about Greek mythology bro

[@derekday3896]

@@lasagnatitty2071 read it online lol

[@lasagnatitty2071]

Derek Day I bet that some culture somewhere has a version of that story with different people and things

[@escopiliatese3623]

It wasn’t made out of the clay, but ivory - it was scrimshaw.

[@hawkeyenextgen7117]

What Thomas Howard finds in the light is a mirror. That sounds way more symbolic than it should. I read somewhere that the light wasn’t salvation at all, it was judgement. The light mirrored all that Thomas had done, judged him for his sins, all while he tried to touch the fabric of the divine, and it was too much. Thus, like Lucifer he was cast down and damned.

[@karma1185]

This movie deserves hour long analysis about themes and symbols its so good hope u do more analysis videos on this movie

[@TheKinoCorner]

Man if making an hour long video essay was viable for me right now, I would. I'll definitely go more in depth with it in a podcast I'm going to be doing soon, which will be on this channel.

[@grndragon7777777]

The part where the old man talks about how all this could be a dream in his head and he could be actually back in Canada freezing to death. Instead of freezing in Canada he was actually dying on the rocks being plucked at by birds

[@hawkeyenextgen7117]

In the ending shot, the lighthouse is gone. This may suggest that all that happened what Thomas Howard’s mental purgatory, where he wasn’t given sweet release and was on that rock right from the start.

[@redact2186]

This is in New England

[@jonathanbhatty8592]

@@redact2186 True but the film was filmed in Nova Scotia.

[@RomanHoltwick1]

When I watched it I thought about it in a jungian way: Wake is awake, enlightened Howard is a coward, he tries taking the short cut to the light (enlightenment) and not earn his way up.

[@christiananderson4909]

Agreed.

[@ryanmims9110]

This is exactly how I saw the the film. There's definitely other meanings you can derive from it, but overall the story is about a young, brash man with a mentor that he essentially doesn't respect; as a result he gets his comeuppance for not adhering to his mentor's teachings. We still relate to the anger and arrogance of the young man, because the mentor has obviously lost his mind, and is obviously emotionally manipulative, but his mentor does have a reason for some of the things he's doing (regarding being a lighthouse keeper), and at the end of the story the arrogant young man still isn't ready to work the light.

[@RomanHoltwick1]

@@ryanmims9110 Yes! Also having to work for wisdom is a big part. I don't know who said it but: "Be wary of unearned wisdom"

[@ralusek]

@@RomanHoltwick1 Lol. That's funny that you don't know who said that, because you're responding in a thread that said that they thought the movie was structured in a Jungian way. Jungian = according to the philosophies of Carl Jung, the very person that said the quote you referenced.

[@RomanHoltwick1]

@@ralusek Yes, I started the thread. Just forgot the quote also was by him. :D

[@jakewestfall1634]

I like the idea that the light is.... nothing. All the paranoid delusions, the midnight visits to see what Wake was up to, the vast amounts of alcohol consumed, all to find that the light was just that.

[@Jared_Wignall]

The Lighthouse is my favorite film of 2019. I really love everything about it. This analysis is incredible. And while awards don’t mean too much these days, I do wish the film was acknowledged for more awards, such as at the Academy Awards. I think it should have been up for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor for Pattinson, Best Supporting Actor for Dafoe, Best Original Score, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Hair and Makeup in addition to its nomination for Best Cinematography. While it might not have won many of the awards I listed if nominated for them, I defiantly believe the film should have been acknowledged for more awards than just Cinematography. The cinematography is fantastic, yet there are so many other incredible things about the film that could have been acknowledged. Though, awards like the Oscars often don’t recognize some of the very best films of the year either at all or for just one or two awards these days. I’m sure this film will be remembered for years to come. While many are praising it as a masterpiece now, I have a feeling the reception will grow as time goes on. Thank you for this video man. Keep up the great work!

[@claricetreml9890]

I wish the film was nominated at least for Best Supporting Actor, Dafoe was so amazing. It's a shame.

[@benschmitt7035]

Honestly i think it's because it didn't have an Oscar campaign at all, which are very important to keep a movie in consideration. Its truly unfortunate that this movie was forgotten

[@jello4479]

@@benschmitt7035 I imagine Robert Eggers, at this stage in his career, doesn't care much for the Academy. He definitely comes across as someone who wouldn't be inclined to participate in the hand shaking and ass kissing that comes along with an awards campaign. It's a shame since Dafoe should've been a shoo-in for a supporting actor nomination.

[@nelisezpasce]

Robert Eggers' wikipedia entry doesn't seem to have an "Early Life" if you know what I mean. Just like how Paul Thomas Anderson has been recognized by other circles other than the Oscars... Could it be because he's not jewish?

[@jello4479]

@@nelisezpasce every single time

[@skylarjon3464]

The scream is Thomas looking into the light and seeing nothing at all. Just a light. He killed the only other person on the island for absolutely nothing and his reaction is his last semblance of sanity being torn from him

[@evn2787]

my theory is that light is heaven and wake is sort of a reaper and judges whether a Winslow should or should not enter the heaven and in the end, Winslow has enough and kills the reaper and for his lust of heaven and chooses this shortcut to heaven, in the end, he finds the light and the heaven judges him and deems him unworthy thus leaving him to die

[@TheKinoCorner]

Yes and so the fall down the stairs can be seen as falling from Heaven to Hell. Wake could manifest himself as many different things or people because he appears different to everyone. To me, he’s the guardian of the light but it’s tragic because he can bask in the light yet never move on.

[@XDarkBrotherhoodHD]

This one makes the most sense

[@buckwang5039]

makes me think of sisyphus

[@hawkeyenextgen7117]

The light is not only salvation, it is also judgement.

[@lombremic4840]

Why does every experimental movie have to be reduced down to a heaven/hell metaphor

[@ryanfiasconaro6583]

I’m a simple man. I see The Lighthouse, I click

[@chillemdafoe5938]

My friend said something about how the clocks must be important due to the focus on them in certain scenes

[@jonartscc968]

Also because Tommy smashes it after finding the log book

[@jrogers5152]

Man just imagine if more Directors put as much effort into their craft like Eggers.... it really is the attention to detail that makes The Lighthouse shine and I absolutely loved it!

[@mynamesjared3427]

Trying to find imperfections on Robert Pattinson's face must have been hard asf

[@OrdinaryThings]

This is good stuff man. Really like the chill analysis .

[@rhythmoriented]

You, sir, nailed it with this video. I note several of Eggers’ personal reflections referenced in his Director narrative and interviews. Thank you for distilling down numerous essential elements into a relatively short video essay.

[@elisadaniel9516]

Yesssss!! Such a beautiful film. Your analysis is on point :)

[@TheKinoCorner]

Thank you!

[@michaelday5381]

The fact that he matched “the aesthetic” with Tommy throwing poo on himself. Nice one

[@NewSideFilms]

You deserve way more subscribers and views my man, keep going and your time will come. Great job!

[@jonathanheidenreich8565]

Was just scrolling down to say the same thing, criminally underviewed analysis. Great work.

[@alexmehnert8482]

He screamed because he saw nothing or everything in the light. Either way it can make a man goes insane.

[@lukebingus9432]

probably the best Essay ive seen on The Lighthouse so far, im shocked that you dont have more Subs. I'll be givin yer vids a watch from now on bruther!!!! keep up the great work!

[@cascojeronimo]

Saw it (second viewing) with my girlfriend last night. And we have a theory, maybe it's too crazy, but it's the way we understand it. Thomas Wake doesn't exist as a human being. He's the lighthouse, he's trying to turn T. Howard mad. And that's the fight between the only two carachters: The Lighthouse and Thomas Howard. It's madness in his pure essence. The face of that one eye man in the lobster pot that T. Howard see is almost the same of Dafoe. So maybe Dafoe was a lighthouse keeper in the past. But, this is just our own theory, not the truth. Because there's no truth or correct answers in this masterpiece. I think The Lighthouse it's "The Shining's of the 21st century."

[@TheKinoCorner]

That would make sense as an interpretation. I didn't notice that the head was the same as Dafoe's. It could also would make sense because of the dream in which the light comes from Wake's eyes. But just as Wake could be the Lighthouse, the lighthouse could be something ethereal, rather than real. A feeling or a state of being, rather than a place. It could all be one entity and Wake is a phantom. I love how open ended it is because it ensures I'm entertained every time I watch it.

[@superheroedits1315]

A very clear, short, and in depth film analysis. Very glad your channel was recommended to me, you deserve more subscribers.

[@aleceastman]

the way you said juxtaposition shocked me for a sec

[@Mrcool210]

The first time I saw this movie I interpreted it as a sort of history repeating itself story. That the light was magical and had driven wake crazy in the past. To the point that he killed his "second" but it wasn't his second. The one eyed man was in the same position wake was in now, and wake killed him when he was just an assistant like Winslow. And now History has come to repeat itself with Winslow killing wake and taking his place as the one the lighthouse deems worthy to protect it. And then the last shot happened and ruined it :(

[@SwaggBae]

8:18 Upon my second viewing, the sea bird definitely had one eye. Truly one of the most amazing films I’ve seen in the last year.

[@BanditoBurrito]

He’s one of my new favorite directors, it’s cool to see New England culture depicted in the mainstream for a bit

[@moviemaniac1838]

I never thought about the last shot being out of order- that's a really neat idea I like it =)

[@peterjetnikoff]

Clear and concise account of a knotty film. I had trouble with it when I was watching it until the climax at the light and the significance of the final image (luckily, among the few Greek myths I know). Thanks for this.

[@realkingofantarctica]

"Interpret this movie, if ye dare."

[@DannyMellin]

I love the idea of the light just being...a light, and that's it. That's why he screams because he realises the reality of the mystery surrounding it.

[@zachb.4429]

Really liked this video. Didn’t try to tell me exactly what the ending means like so many other videos, but just kinda helped me along my way of forming my own theory. Subscribed

[@angelnolasco3577]

This is the video I didn't know existed, but needed. Thanks

[@KillerBotFilms]

Great job analyzing and going behind the scenes. What you interpreted was very similar to what I came up with after repeat viewings, but more heavy on the purgatory idea and how the film is a retelling of Thomas's love life with Winslow and his wife and essentially been given a second chance to correct mistakes he has done in the relationship. I could go on about what I think the mermaid meant as well but you're probably not in the mood to read a bunch of paragraphs. Great video! Excited to watch more of your content.

[@joeytorres6889]

YES, what a perfect double feature with THE MASTER.

[@Joooolan]

Great video ! It's surprising, I had the exact same theory about purgatory on my second viewing. What a fantastic film !

[@TheKinoCorner]

The fact that the old assistant had one eye and the bird has one eye intrigued me. Wake says that the souls of dead sailors are in seabirds, but that connection might mean the the failed souls of previous people in the lighthouse are in the seabirds we see. It would tie together with the ending shots wherein we see the birds picking apart the remains of Howard. By eating him, he's becoming part of them. It's ominous, for sure.

[@IAmTheStig32]

As someone who runs Call of Cthulhu over D&D as my go-to RPG game system, this film is 100% recommended viewing material before you dive into your first game. It's a true masterclass in understanding Lovecraft and his stories and why they work so well even today.

[@UrsaMaj0r148]

My grandparents retired to Nova Scotia (just about 30 minutes from Yarmouth, where this was shot) and it's just on a whole other level as far as a mystical place! My Opa was an "old salt", to the extent that his whole room/area of the house (built in early 1700s) was made to look like a captains quarters, with a porthole, lanterns, and two mermaids from a ship on Nantucket island sculpted out of wood on either side of the bed.

[@ruloboy7233]

Bruh I subscribed because of your voice, its really inmersive

[@EMDrecs1]

Eggers is a genius. If he never makes another movie, this would be a grand enough achievement.

[@jgfear]

My theory: what if younger “ Thomas “ just Imagined the whole thing ? And the older “ Thomas Wake “ was a hallucination? Up until the point he dies being pecked to death ? What if younger “ Thomas “ is in hell for his crimes ? Insert “ Twilight Zone “ theme here . My head hurts thinking about it.

[@jrogers5152]

I was thinking most of these theories for days after seeing it 😂 I love how many theories their are to it and nothing is spoon fed to us, so good!

[@hawkeyenextgen7117]

Well, it’s possible that the lighthouse is Thomas Howard’s mental purgatory. Take not that in the final shot, the entire lighthouse is gone, suggesting that Howard was lying on the rocks from the start. Wake was his conscience, his ego, a twisted reflection of himself, a guide.The moment Howard kills a gull, he spirals down insanity. The last straw is when he kills wake to reach the light, desperate for salvation, but only found judgement. What he exactly saw is unknown, but it was enough to break his mind entirely. Thus he is cast down and is damned to have the gulls continue to peck at him.

[@sskspartan]

more like insert Twilight lol

[@missconstruct6968]

The ending shows Tommy dying outside with no lighthouse and a large pile of wood behind him; earlier in the movie, Wake brings up the idea that he might be dreaming the entire lighthouse up while dying in Nova Scotia So who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@nyvl3]

I love that idea, American Myth as a genre of films. Thats a really great way to categorize this film, it fits it perfectly. In the same way, The Witch could also fit in there too.

[@TheKinoCorner]

I think it’s a genre that will become bigger and bigger as the American empire declines and we look back on the life and ideals of the country and try to forge an identity moving forward. It’s too complicated for a comment but maybe that’ll be a video down the line.

[@GuilhermeTobal5150]

@@TheKinoCorner Modern myth or something like that would be a better way to call it. Lighthouse itself has nothing to do with "America", or USA as one should call it, the setting and characters are foreing and the themes universal. The director is american all right, but a film is way more than it's director. It's kinda like saying spaghetti westerns are "Italians stories" because they're made mainly by italians, they are american stories told by italians. Western frontiers and outlaws were never part of the italian history. And, of course, cinema as a whole is already too USA/english-centered as it is. "American myth" is to exclusive, I think. Just my take on it, as a non-american. Loved the video, btw! The whole purgatory theory really fits.

[@finnsword8286]

The VVitch’s tagline is literally a New England Folktale. I’d say it very much is meant to be seen as a myth/folktale/ect!

[@clanofclams2720]

@@GuilhermeTobal5150 You know the movie takes place in Maine, right? Also, you're not american so you're in no place to tell us what we call our own country. We don't need to say "USA" every single time when a simple "America" could get the job done just fine. To put a button on things: you're not in any place of authority where you can declare that the state of cinema as a whole is "Too USA" centered, that is just silly. Over the past ten years, ten different films have took home the Palme d'Or and TWO of them were in English... Only *_ONE_* of them was helmed by an American director. To say that Cinema is too centered around America while we are at the height of the new french extremity movement and the blossoming of South korean cinema is silly at best and downright stupid at worst. In either case, it's incorrect.

[@MadamFoogie]

Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner.

[@congruentcrib]

I love the idea of this being a state of purgatory... I’ve seen it once but I want to watch it a few more times and take note thinking of that.

[@princessthyemis]

oh my gosh I loved all your interpretations!! I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH! I have so many ideas about it, too! It's so simple but at the same time it's not simple at all! I saw it as....the lighthouse and its light is an enchantment, or maybe even a goddess, cursing people to damnation if they kill seabirds or lose their souls, like Old Thomas (so cool about their names in the script; I didn't even pick up on their names in the movie lol?!) mentioned he'd lost his soul to the sea, and the lighthouse is like some powerful god punishing any living being on their rock, a goddess to cause people to become bewitched with its light or just wanting to see it, but its so magical it'll make you go crazy if you look at it directly before condemning you to the final stages of the curse. :D i think this movie is BRILLIANT! Great video :D

[@MarkArandjus]

There is only one interpretation of this film that is incorrect -> the one you think is the definitive one.

[@finechina1977]

that’s deep

[@3iopen]

One of my all time favourite films! I quote it all the time!

[@_Azagoth_]

1:40 that's exactly the kind of face you need to see when trying to find someone to cast as the Joker.

[@iansalinas412]

Great theory on the meaning of this film! I thought about the judgement Winslow faces and the penance he is carrying out on the rock but that he never finishes. I especially like that you equated the tall lighthouse tower to the distance between heaven and hell or salvation and damnation. I see the scene where he arduously drags the oil drum up the stairs as a parallel to the long suffering all men make in life, trying to reach the light. Excellent video please keep it up!

[@sherlockfan2000]

Ian Salinas-The scene with him dragging the oil drum up the stairs, as well as the extremely repetitive nature of Winslows day to day tasks during their time on the island, was very like the Greek myth of sysiphius who was forced to constantly drag a boulder up a mountain only to be forced right back down the mountain to start all over again.

[@wowflower]

you nailed it. really puts you in the shit. its highly meditative. i watch it by myself and get one thing. i watch it with my mom and dad and have a whole new experience. i watch it with my friends and see, again, a whole new movie. - like memories of our own lives, this movie changes and suits best what we actively shove between us and it. i personally feel like cinema is the most visceral form of art we have as a species. and this... holy shit thisssssss movie is really in tune with the humanity in all people. long way of saying love this video so much. thank you.

[@darthgreenthum6364]

If I'm not mistaken old states the last wiki went mad, perhaps he was playing with him...trying to make him insane like his former wiki. Old starts the back and forth "what, what, what, what" young says, that's you right there that's you....maybe he realized that old is pushing young all the time. Like when old chases young with the axe and breaks the boat, 2 minutes later old says why did you chase me and break the boat? Old is playing with young in his alcohol induced psychosis. All in all they are both mental and it can be percieved in many ways...but i think that's a nice theory! Cool video!

[@Riot076]

Personally I just love how many interpretations work well with this movie,due to a huge amount of different tropes that can serve as a base. I actually have my own interpretation,that blends kinda nicely with the "father and son" thread,that's commonly evoked. And according to it the main thread of the movie is Oedipus complex. Thomas likes to refer to the light of the lighthouse as if it was his lady. We also witness the "romantic" scene with the tentacle at the top of the lighthouse. For Ephraim the light of the lighthouse is the "forbidden fruit". So finally Ephraim-Oedipus kills Thomas-his own father to posses the light of the lighthouse-in this context his father's lady (I'm not saying "his mother",'cause I don't see any parental relationship between the lighthouse and Ephraim outside of the general interpretative context). What happens next? Well,Ephraim dies and in the scene when we see his body,we can clearly see,that he's been blinded. A quick reminder - when Oedipus realised that he had commited incest,he blinded himself. Furthermore we have the siren's figurine and the siren itself in the movie. How do those things relate to the Oedipus' theory? Well,there's the scene where Ephraim masturbates to the figurine. Also after the "rendez-vous" with sirene Ephraim has a dream where he has sex with her. When we come back to the scene where Ephraim meets her for the first time in "reality",their rapprochement is suddenly interrupted by the siren's scream. The scream itself merges into the noise that the lighthouse makes as if the siren was the embodiment of the lighthouse. So now the "puzzle" looks like this: the siren about the sexual intercourse with which Ephraim was fantasizing about=the lighthouse=Thomas' lady so at the same time the mother of Oedipus,whom in this case is Ephraim. And a small addition just from my personal observations: in the final scenes,where Ephraim finally gets to see the light at the beginning he's stunned by its "beauty",then he gets more and more extatic almost orgasmic and near the end of the scene I'd say he's frightened as if he realised that he "violated" the light (which is his father's woman in this interpretation),then he gets blinded (which is what Oedipus did to himself upon realising what he had done)

[@musicfilmhead9051]

God I love this film. Great vid. Subbed.

[@aouss.altwaijry]

I love your analysis and approach.

[@alifarhat16]

The thing you wrote at the end blew my mind

[@iwatchmoremoviesthanyou]

Fantastic video man! And what a beautiful film, the creative liberties taken truly paid off in such a wonderful way.

[@LoganMcCord]

Why did you make me cry by pointing out the both the seagull and the old assistant?

[@gnosisi]

They got so friendly even affectionate one time and then again hostile just like the relationship of the volatile sea and mere human. It gave me vague impression that Wake might be the impersonation of the sea itself.

[@ed4103]

What’s interesting is that what happens to Winslow Is predicted by wake in several of his rants. For example, Wake says at one point that he’s surprised Winslow hasn’t “split his skull in Twain,” which happens by the end of the movie. He also says that his previous wickie was enchanted by the light, which we see happening to Winslow even early on in the film. Wake, in his rant about cooking, describes a majority of the hallucinations Winslow has in their fight later in the film, and in the ending scene as well.

[@zack-ne1li]

"here take my kino, go ahead have a bite" -Martin Scorsese (2020)

[@chriskrichie566]

I love this movie so much! You blew my mind with Howard was dead the whole movie and his soul was being judged.

[@jeremyud]

I learn towards the purgatory idea- that Thomas got into a shipwreck on his way to the assignment that he got with his stolen identity, managed to get ashore, but was so injured that he was scavenged by birds. And basically the entire movie is his dying hallucination and reckoning of his sins.

[@snooplenny3765]

I think that the fact that different interpretations are possible help lend itself to idea of reality being ambiguous in the film and how it's impossible to know what scenes are real and what scenes are fake.

[@senseweaver01]

Y'know, I'm something of a lighthouse keeper myself

[@yamnayaseed356]

The Lighthouse is what Von Tier's "The AntiChrist" tried to be

[@MichaelJohnson-kq7qg]

There's an over-used phrase when discussing movies - "every frame a painting". The Lighthouse is one of the very few movies to earn it. You can basically stop the movie anywhere, and it will just be a gorgeously framed image.

[@TheChicode]

Talking about The Lighthouse with a friend, we reminisced about our Lit. studies back in highschool and we found a very uncanny coincidence between Eggers's movie and a modern, catalan thriller and best-seller called La Pell Freda (The Cold Skin) by Albert Sánchez Piñol, which recounts the tale of a disilusioned Irish nationalist taking a job as a lighthouse official in a remote island in the middle of the Atlantic, where he is to live with an older, more experienced sailor. The premise is similar and the events and themes are somewhat related. First of all, we quickly realise that the isolation and desolation brought forth by the island is maddening or at least quite unsetlling; shit hits the fan almost immediately when the callousness and hostility of the older sailor stems from an actual merman and mermaid species persistently tries to invade the island. Of course, the main point of the history isn't as psychological because we're thrust into a firefight between the men and the merfolk by page 10 or so and it really is all about these monsters trying to kill our horrible protagonists. Yes, quite horrible because turns out both of them have pretty dark pasts and quickly deviate into abhorrent behavior towards the sirens, as far as holding one captive to fulfill their...desires. Overall, it's not a good book, I'll just throw that out there. But remembering the book, it evokes the same period and aesthetic Eggers portrays here and it seemed quite a cool coincidence for such an obscure piece of media abroad. Even more so, the book was published in 2002 and in 2017, director Xavier Gens premiered his adaptation at the Sitges Film Festival. There's absolutely no juxtaposition, no relation whatsoever between these two media: it's just a very, very common setting and character dynamic, but some of the themes of isolation, forced interpersonal relationships, sexual realisation and a mystical darkness make it that much more similar.

[@cb_too_cold]

Great video. Keep up the good work, my friend!

[@paul6925]

I thought the same of the last shot being his actual state for the whole movie! The entire film took place in his head as he was dying/being eaten by seagulls. Once I learned about the greek myth interpretations I was less sure.

[@kinhamid9665]

To me the light in the ending represents The Lighthouse and Winslow represents film fans

[@Gamit522]

This movie was filmed where I live :) Nova Scotia !

[@mankriter]

Great work I totally agree with you, it was a great film which on purpose is meant to be open to every analysis. To me the island itself is something like the after life a place from which nobody ever escapes ,yet I don't think it is about judgement ,heaven ,hell and all. It strikes me more like diving into one's subconscious ,a notion we have seen in some Steven Kings novels (The Shine, In the mouth of madness) where you are left all alone with your greatest fears just to be driven mad. While young Thomas is looking up to old Thomas in the beginning we see him dragging his former mentor around like a dog. Young Thomas is facing illusions of his greatest fears longing for the light ,although he is warned not to go there. Reaching for the light (the forbidden fruit) will be his end as it has been to many others before him who did not take the warning seriously. So why does young Thomas get burnt but old Thomas is not? Could be because he is constantly trying to break every rule ,reminding of Greek mythology. The reference to the myth of Promitheas is quite obvious.

[@bigsleep7242]

"You think you're so God damn high and mighty because you're a God damn lighthouse keeper?"

[@GiggleBlizzard]

This film is like a man himself. And the man above him, and also the man below him.

[@Mr_Bamshki]

Well spoken, love the commentary.

[@prodigalsun1678]

This video is recommended to me every day i guess ill watch it

[@philj212]

yes, the old assistand, the bird but also the young man when he is being eaten has one eye. I am thinking maybe it is some sort of loop but I haven't seen the movie more than once so its hard to recollect.

[@bayouacrimony4737]

I just recently picked this up on blu-ray. Whew! What a great film! I'll need to take a few days to think about this movie before I watch it again. I have avidly avoided modern black and white movies, but this one seemed different, in part because they used original equipment as described in this excellent review. You don't notice the square aspect ratio (1.19:1) because the black sidebars on TVs often merge seamlessly with the video. Great audio too, especially when Thomas Wake is speaking. Willem Dafoe nailed it. Cinematography and production design were outstanding. As a young child brainwashed on black and white movies, I would've moved into Dracula's castle, so to me the lighthouse and other adjacent structures were beautiful. Yeah, I was also blown away and I'm probably going to be mentally processing this movie for days to come. KZbin Movies has it classified as science fiction and I have mixed feelings about that, but if it is science fiction, it's better than Star Wars Rise of Skywalker hands down.

[@Horrorfreak106]

I think the movie is about the old generation vs the new generation and how the older generation constantly tells the newer generation "If you work hard enough, you'll get what you want!" but that American dream is slowly drifting farther and farther away for most people. William's character buys into this myth that all the BS that he's went through and is currently going through is going to be worth it because he's slowly climbing up the ladder. William's character made it to the light, but in the end only found madness. Rob's character tries his best to believe this narrative, but in the end realizes that it's all BS when he looks into the light of the lighthouse. The light represents the american dream and that that was ultimately the thing that does both of them in. It's this goal that both of them want, and they get it. But the pain that it put them through to get there and the pain that they experience after achieving said goal was ultimately not worth it. I see this movie as a cautionary tale for the average American.

[@finechina1977]

And the seagulls are the Wall Street traders

[@guywithasukapfp7835]

i had to memorize wake's sea curse monologue for a class, now they can't shut me up

[@simeonmonev9982]

Hello, can you tell me the source of the sailor photographs around the 4th minute?

[@danielcardiff3861]

2019 was an awesome year for film.

[@chrisrowl]

Have you looked at the connections between this film and the work of artist Sascha Scheider (particularly his piece titled Hypnosis)?

[@TheKinoCorner]

I was going to include it in the video during retakes but my mic unfortunately broke so it didn’t make it

[@ariannalarsen8860]

NO ONE THINKS ABOUT THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER!! An old tale about an old seaman who goes to a wedding telling a description of a poem in which an albatross is killed and therefore causes various issues. i’m so surprised i havent seen one video mentioning this considering it’s so strongly a reference for the seagull scene.

[@yeetus_reetus_deeleetus]

Just bought a lighthouse Lego set based in a horror type universe and this movie has been recommended to me so many times lmao

[@Anton-qc1fk]

Fucking incredible. You’ve earned yourself a subscriber. Although, I would like to know your theory on the seabird and the assistant having the same “one-eye.”

[@caglabot]

best movie of 2019

[@TheKinoCorner]

Agreed

[@titod.7012]

Joker though

[@TheKinoCorner]

@@titod.7012 Joker was also good

[@caglabot]

Dr. Rudeness it was good but it wasn’t the best.

[@titod.7012]

@@caglabot It was the best of 2019 imo.

[@nateweter4012]

One of the best films I’ve ever seen.