2023 NONETWORK, LLC. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Theyre pushing each others buttons out of fear and out of threat of who they are. "The Lighthouse" teeters somewhere between those extremes. He imagines the mermaid throughout the film, fantasizing about her and what she might look like. YA genre tribute. The mermaids, for example, are similar to the sirens from The Odyssey who attempt to lead lost sailors to their death. Drawing from Greek mythology and other sources, it is possible to decode the symbolism and subtext of the movie. Robert Eggers's black and white film about two lighthouse keepers in the late 19th century terrorizes the senses for nearly two hours. She is a Brazilian-Swiss American immigrant with a love for all things weird and magical. Pattinson's character (who we'll refer to as Ephraim to make things simple, though even that's a question) is the new temporary wickie (or assistant) to Dafoe's more senior Thomas Wake. Throughout the film, Ephraim is constantly both fighting against and being entranced by deadly forces of nature, whether it's the storms or sirens. The final scene features a bloody Pattinson being picked at the flesh by a swarm of seagulls or a seemingly deserted island. A lot of times, that's a sexual energy utilized to establish some kind of power. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Film. Plus: Maximilian Daviss second main collection for Ferragamo was an impressive step up from his debut. Well, my first shot was this ferocious masturbation scene. New York, Support our editorial team and help us make an impact on society and communities. Along with Esquire, his work has appeared in NYLON, Vulture, and USA Today. Likewise, the mermaids seem to be coaxing Ephraim down a spiral staircase to insanity and ultimately death. It wasnt just about a boss and his worker. Stick with me. Their job was to build the prosthetic for the mermaid, played by Valeriia Karaman. The answer is Pattinson. Eggers explained, "What appears to be extremely large outer labia are actually pelvic fins that many fish have, but they are sort of splayed out [when horny].". Something in the water is calling out for Ephraim. Origin And you know, it was inspiring., Pattinson relived the first-day experience himself in a new interview with The New York Times. That mermaid might be his fuck objectand a figurinebut she gets the last sea screech. Theory #1: The Lighthouse Is A Modern Retelling Of A Greek Myth The first place one may draw from after seeing the lighthouse is through the subtle use of seafaring mythology that is embedded. Underwater breathingSeductionManipulationHypnotic presenceTelepathy (possibly) Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun. Or (and we'll touch on this more later), you can see Thomas and Ephraim as representing two parts of the same person. They have a sense of guilt, of wrong. And Proteus is the sea god. He confronts his coworker about annoyances (that include his frequent farting) before finding Thomas log detailing complaints about Ephraims performance as his assistant. Thomas could fit into id due to his primitive and instinctive personality. It's bizarre. Thomas Wake is pretty obviously meant to represent Proteus, and he even acknowledges the parallel, saying, Hark Triton, hark! He was never a sailor at all. Who Spent $110,000 on Robert Pattinsons Sex Mermaid? 14 Makeup Bags That Will Help You Get Your Life Together, The Best Street Style From New York and Milan Fashion Weeks. The conclusion of Robert Pattinson and Willem DaFoes is frustrating maddening. "Its always nice to do something massive for your opening shot, and I went really massive on the first take," Pattinson told The New York Times, of the masturbation scene. Regardless of how it happened, the guilt from this death seems to weigh on Ephraim to the point of driving him over the edge. But the significance of the lantern and what Thomas sees inside it is left open for interpretation. Alias The audience is never able to see what was inside the lantern at the top of the lighthouse, and its clear that Robert Eggers wanted to leave that up for interpretation. From The Witch director Robert Eggers, this surreal black-and-white 35-millimeter horror movie stars Robert Pattinson and William Dafoe as two lighthouse keepers. Also, hes kind of mad, as well. From there, things on the island start getting worse. IndieWire is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Word webslinger. Using a design based on shark labias (do not Google), Eggers took additional inspiration from shellfish: "We were looking at oysters and shellfish that sort of like looked labial. What did Thomas Howard see in the lantern that made him fall down the stairs? For more information, please see our 2023 Vox Media, LLC. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Where to Sell Secondhand Clothing: A Guide, L.A. Will Pay Vanessa Bryant $28.8 Million Over Crash Photos. The scene where Ephraim falls down the staircase could also be compared to the myth of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and ultimately fell to his death. Yeah, agreed. Ephraim is trying to reach it the entire movie and once he looks into it it does not give him what he wants. I'd like to believe that's his sexualized anger eating him from the inside out. Kang the Conqueror (Marvel Cinematic Universe). And that's where the real work of movie-making began. Where is that breaking point?". Its always nice to do something massive for your opening shot, and I went really massive on the first take. The film's makeup effects team, comprised of Kathy Tse and Adrian Morot, built the prosthetic for Karaman's mermaid, who Ephraim spots near the rocky coast in the midst of a raging storm that keeps him and Dafoe's Thomas imprisoned on the tiny island where the lighthouse sits. Its just to watch these two guys struggling to find a way to survive themselves, really Its a simple story, but its got existential roots and identity things about masculinity and domination and submission. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The movie also implies that our unreliable narrator was never of sound mind even before arriving on the island. It was a 180 from everything wed done in rehearsal, and I could see Robert [Eggers] a little in shock afterward. Due to his perversion of her, she toys around with his sexual frustrations by psychologically harassing him. How to Make Money as a Cinematographer is a new in-depth online course from No Film School, available now. Greek mythology was not the only source of inspiration Robert Eggers drew from for this film, though. Some creepy, billionaire film buff who would keep it in his film dungeon for its sexual implications? But I was like, Ok, cool, I didnt get told to stop, so Ill keep going in that direction. As soon as Id done that, it was like the road started getting paved.. Going the way they did brought the movie right up there with the best of Cronenberg's fascination and horror with the organic. For years black women have been fighting against racism and sexism. So yer looking for answers about Robert Eggers bonkers second film The Lighthouse. Privacy Policy. Just two dudes yelling and getting angry. Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe play lightkeepers bunking on a remote island off the coast of Maine in the 1890s, where they spend four weeks doing tiresome physical labor and safeguarding the titular edifice. What? What's a "Wunza" Movie or TV Show? This Article is related to: Film and tagged Robert Eggers, Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is supposed to be challenging. As Ephraims rage comes to a boil, he goes to see whats wrong with the cistern and finds a dead seagull inside it. "It was a 180 from everything wed done in rehearsal, and I could see [director] Robert [Eggers] a little in shock afterward." The internet will surely be blanketed with think pieces about The Lighthouse and its confounding storyline for months to come. So the "state of the art" in films now is "Can I shoot a scene with an artificial shark's vagina in it?". In the context of The Lighthouse, that mermaid figurine was nothing more than a fuck object, and I use "fuck" instead of "sex" here because all that frustration from Pattinson's character wasn't ever going to lead to sex or making love. Its just to watch these two guys struggling to find a way to survive themselves, really Its a simple story, but its got existential roots and identity things and things about masculinity and domination and submission. To fulfill the fantasy, Pattinson had to (SPOILER ALERT)have sex with a mermaid. It always reads as a very sensual relationship. If youre curious to plunge deeper into the themes of The Lighthouse, let's discuss a few theories based on what the filmmaker and actors have discussed about the film: Theory #1: The Lighthouse Is A Modern Retelling Of A Greek Myth. "Well," Eggers starts when I ask about the mermaid vagina, before explaining that the major source of inspiration came from female shark genitals, "we were looking at oysters and shellfish that sort of like looked labial. When he finally sees the glowing lantern, hes thrown into a fit of ecstasy and agony which ultimately causes him to fall down the stairs. What's immediately clear, however, is that this mermaid, portrayed by Valeriia Karaman, which appears to Pattinson's Ephraim is not cut from the same cloth as, say, Daryl Hannah in Splash. Related Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. While Robert Eggers has never answered that question directly, we can infer some answers from the context of the movie. Mashable is a registered trademark of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without express written permission. Very quickly, it becomes obvious that this isn't a job for everyone. How Anastasia Beverly Hillss Founder Gets Her Skin So Good. Whether or not the island itself is enchanted is completely up to the audience, and there are many scenes throughout the movie that may or may not have actually happened, depending on your interpretation of the film. We're not straying from spoilers in here. Also, the way he eventually kills Thomas with an ax calls back to Ephraim's previous occupation as a timberman. Eggers often made his allusions to Greek mythology and other literature abundantly obvious. Some answers from the Odyssey who attempt to lead lost sailors to their death is a Brazilian-Swiss American immigrant a! The symbolism and subtext of the lantern that made him fall down the stairs the flesh by a swarm seagulls. Months to come better experience a love for all things weird and magical about her what. Film buff who would keep it in his film dungeon for its sexual implications my first was! 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