As a horror film "The Lighthouse" is too special, the director used old-fashioned black and white lenses and a 1:1 aspect ratio to expand the film according to common sense. The first impression of this kind of film is that it is not a modern film, but more like an old film of the last century. At the same time, the actors' lines and dialogues are also very retro, making the audience more like watching an antique film. However, it is this way of shooting that makes the audience more aware of the oppression in the film.
I have to say that "The Lighthouse" is one of the best horror films I've watched in recent years, because it's not just a horror film just for scaring people, it also involves a lot of mythological and psychoanalytic elements. After watching "The Lighthouse", many people are confused and full of questions about the film, "What is the film trying to express? It took me almost half an hour to give me such an unclear ending?" I believe this is what most passers-by viewers see. The feeling after finishing "The Lighthouse". But in fact, this is the purpose of the director. The secrets in the film do not necessarily have to be solved. Perhaps the director buried so many foreshadowings in the film to watch the audience discuss it. Of course, discussing "The Lighthouse" is ultimately necessary. to a clear answer. The director is very bad. He made the film into an unsolved inequality. When the audience tried to solve the puzzle and was about to get the final answer, they suddenly found that it was a conclusion that could not be connected. The clever part is that the film does not have an absolute answer. But in fact, those viewers who are blindly pursuing horror and excitement don't need to discuss these at all, it is enough to simply feel the depressing atmosphere of the film. I have seen many people's opinions on this film before. Next, I will combine some of the mainstream opinions I have seen before and my own opinions to make an inconclusive analysis of the film (just to help everyone understand better. video, don't take it too seriously)
At present, the three most mainstream arguments in the film are "mythological argument", "psychoanalytic argument" and "supernatural argument".
[Myth argument, everything is the embodiment of myth story]
The argument about mythology is the most I have seen, because if you look at it from the perspective of Greek mythology, you will find that there are really many places where you can find counterparts. The one-eyed head that came out was likened to the appearance of the Cyclops when the chief was angry, like Poseidon, the sea god, and the male protagonist in the ending ran to the lighthouse and touched the flame with his hands, and finally got pecked by the seagulls naked, and one of the chiefs smoked without fire. , the male protagonist hurried to help him light a fire, isn't this very similar to Prometheus? The whole film is like an alternative presentation of mythology. Of course, in order to create a terrifying atmosphere, the film also adds the indescribable horror of the Cthulhu mythology. The tentacles of the chief who grow out of octopuses appear many times in the film. important manifestation. However, just finding these is completely insufficient to understand the film, and then we will talk about psychoanalytic theory.
[The huge conspiracy of the film, the audience is toyed with]
The most common trick of psychoanalysis films is to use the protagonist's first-person perspective to advance the development of the film, and then gradually explore the protagonist's inner world until later reversal, and split personality is also commonplace. "The Lighthouse" also adopts the method of psychoanalysis. The whole film tells the story from the protagonist's first point of view. Seeing the protagonist go crazy step by step, viewers who watch the movie carefully will find that the protagonist and the officer are in a relationship. The thirst for alcohol on the island is getting stronger and stronger, to the point where the last two people can't live without alcohol. It seems that everything is caused by alcohol and boring life. has fallen into madness. Does this remind many viewers of "The Shining"? They are all going crazy in a closed and isolated environment. But unlike "The Shining", when the hero is about to fall into madness, the film continues to be played from the perspective of the hero. If you think about it from the perspective of a person who has been drunk for a long time and fell into madness, then there will definitely be mistakes in it. . When the male protagonist wanted to row the boat to leave the island alone, the officer took the axe and chopped the boat, and chased the male protagonist to the hut (a tribute to "The Shining"), but after entering the hut, the officer actually said that the male protagonist chopped the boat himself. If it's broken, it also said "maybe the real you are still wandering in the woods". After hearing this sentence and combining it, the male protagonist regards the officer as another man when he kills the officer. (The black-and-white picture and 1:1 picture of the film are also like his world in distress.) Maybe all of this is really just the fantasy of the male protagonist, the island lighthouse chief These are all fictionalized by the male protagonist, and the male protagonist is just a logging trapped in the forest. work. If the entire film is viewed from the male protagonist's first-person perspective, it is indeed possible that everything is the male protagonist's fantasy. But there are two parts of the film that are not viewed from the male protagonist's point of view. One is that the officer is on the lighthouse as if embracing the flame in the center of the lighthouse, and the other is that at the beginning of the film, the two log on to the isolated island. I tend to think that the image of the commander on the lighthouse was made up by the male protagonist. At the same time, the male protagonist accidentally fell off while painting the lighthouse. From these points, the role of the officer is not so three-dimensional. Maybe the officer is really a person who does not exist in reality. He is like a projection of the male protagonist's spirit. In the film, there is also a scene where the two embrace each other, which seems to be merging. , the director may imply that they are the same person. If interpreted in this way, then it would make sense that there were no ships coming to the island to pick up the two of them.
At this point, it seems that the explanation of the film based on psychoanalytic arguments makes sense, but a new problem arises. If everything is the fantasy of the male protagonist, and the boss is a phantom projected by the male protagonist, then the various behaviors of the male protagonist in the film It also seems unnecessary, masturbating to the statue, eager to go up to the lighthouse. This is where the "supernatural argument" can be used.
[Supernatural argument, a bloody case caused by a seagull]
The island and the lighthouse itself are an evil supernatural area. The chief reminded the male protagonist many times not to provoke the seagulls. Maybe he knew the secret here, and the male protagonist killed the seagulls, which caused a chain reaction. The two cannot live without the island. The male protagonist is gradually going mad, and various supernatural forces are gradually destroying the two of them. From the various behaviors of the male protagonist, the reason why the male protagonist finally broke out is that he looked at the notepad of the superior, and the evaluation of the male protagonist was extremely high. Malicious, this alone is enough to trigger a conflict between the two, but maybe this is the effect of the power of the island, allowing the male protagonist to see the worst thing to cause conflict, and ultimately destroy the two completely, and looking at the officer's emotions , he is also causing contradictions step by step. He is loyal to harming others. In the end, under the anger of the two, he said the word dog many times (the male protagonist has shown that the word hates this word before in the film), which has become an overwhelming force for the two of them. The last straw. Maybe there is some supernatural power in the shadows, and the reason is just killing a seagull. Combined with the supernatural landscape that appeared in the film, and the giant octopus tentacles of the mermaid officer that appeared on the beach, this is simply a replica of "The Shining". wickedly
The curse of the domain.
[Metaphors of several shots]
When I first watched the film, I was very inclined to the supernatural argument, but when I really explored the film, I realized that the film is not limited to this. The three arguments seem to be unrelated, but in fact, I can find a lot in common. From the lens of the film, we can see that the director is trying his best to express the inner depression of the protagonist, and the climate change of the island is also worth pondering. The day before the storm, this climate can feel more oppressive, suggesting the direction of the final outcome of the two, but what is surprising is that the two finally broke out into conflict, when the male protagonist led the superior like a dog, but Sunny weather, maybe the weather is the expression of the protagonist's spiritual direction, because when he completely subdued the officer, he felt that no one would point fingers at him anymore. The secret of the wreck brought him destruction and caused his strange death on the island.
In addition, the film also uses a lot of streams of consciousness to tell the story. The driftwood that the male protagonist sees on the coast, the mermaid swimming in the sea, and all the supernatural landscapes in the film can surprise the audience. The director uses an alternative method to express All of this, the mermaid's picture is very beautiful, so beautiful that it is uncomfortable. There is also a section that turns the chief into a god, and the picture is like an oil painting. The film is too surprising, beautiful and painful at the same time.
To say whether this movie is worth recommending, it depends on what kind of audience it is. If you are a movie watcher just for relaxing entertainment, then "The Lighthouse" is not absolutely not recommended. This movie will be depressing and definitely not leisure. The first choice for relaxation. But if you are a horror thriller fan, then you must not miss "The Lighthouse". As long as a horror film can scare the audience, it has already achieved the success of the film. Through the oppressive atmosphere and the sinister atmosphere of the film. This may be the success of the film. In fact, the film does not necessarily have to understand it more thoroughly. Feeling the repressed atmosphere of the film is what the director wants the audience to experience most.
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