SPOILERS AHEAD...
Every once in a while there will come a film or piece of media that will really pick at my brain and keep me thinking about it for days after viewing it. Some previous examples of this have been with the mini-series Over the Garden Wall and films such as Sorry to Bother You and The Square. I find the need to view these pieces of media time and time again to form and explore various theories and ideas on what they really are about and what they are trying to say, The Lighthouse is the first film this year to really fall under that category for me. As I sat in the theatre watching Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe lose their minds there were so many puzzle pieces that stood out to me and stayed with me. Now fresh out of my second viewing of the film and with over 5 pages of notes, I am ready to share my thoughts and theories though I do want to say this is not supposed to be a clean article with a simple and easy answer for what this film is really trying to say. I still have not fully came to a conclusion on how I view the thesis of this movie and I feel like there are so many elements in this film that there isn't only one thing it is trying to say. There are multiple puzzles you can build with what the films gives you so to try and reduce it down to one meaning is just ineffective. Also, note that this is in no way a review for the movie, I have a full spoiler-free review already on my channel which you can find by clicking here, so let's get into the drunk ramblings of a lonely sailor and look at my thoughts and theories surrounding Robert Eggers's sophomore film, The Lighthouse.
And first, I want to talk about the initial idea that jumped out to me when I was watching the film which was that the movie was a meditation on the repression of one's sexuality. I couldn't help but time and time again feel like there was some secret side we don't really see when it came to the character of Ephraim Winslow and there is plenty to point to him being someone who has some level of homosexual urges. Where Thomas Wake shares his experience with various women and his desires we never hear from Winslow on these matters. The only thing he adds to these conversations is when he asks Wake if he feels shame for when he sleeps with women. Winslow clearly has something in him that keeps him on the move, almost something he is running from, could this be his urges that he feels shame for, maybe due to his religious beliefs that he says he holds? The moment where I started to see Winslow through this lens was the scene where he is masturbating to the figurine of the mermaid but keeps thinking of the real Winslow which he either watched die or killed himself depending on how much you trust him. Throughout the film, Winslow sees a mermaid and seems to try to use them to achieve sexual pleasure but feels frustrated when he tries to think of them, to see inside his mind and see that in this raw sexual moment that his mind keeps going back to this man is interesting. It is fully possible that the real Winslow met his fate at the hands of Thomas Howard due to either engaging in Howard's desires or rejecting them. We see that Winslow has an issue with these feelings as when he and Wake start to embrace and nearly kiss it is Winslow who pushes Wake off and starts to fight him. Clearly there is some anger and rejection Winslow has in regards to this side of himself which could be this repressed side he wishes he could escape from. He even says his long term goal is to escape from society and live in his own house away from everyone, could this be because the pressure society brings onto who he is deep down? We see this pressure from Wake himself who makes fun of Winslow for his shoes saying something along the lines of "That's a queer way to wear shoes", we know historically this was a rough time for the LGBTQ+ community so the inner struggle from Winslow would make total sense. We also know that there definitely is something sexual happening in this film as Robert Eggers confirmed in an interview that the lighthouse itself was supposed to represent an erect penis.
Obviously with both of our characters being named Thomas the idea that they are the same person has to be put on the table. This also goes with the idea that this Lighthouse is some kind of purgatory that is keeping Thomas here trapped forever. This is why the boat never comes to get them. I also think the strongest evidence for this is in the seagulls, Wake says that inside them are the souls of sailors that have met their makers and the main seagull that causes Winslow his trouble very noticeably has one eye missing. If we go all the way to the very end of the movie we see that as Winslow is laying dying outside the lighthouse and birds eat his organs that one of his eyes has been pecked out. This would lead me to believe that these two characters also could be the same creating some triangle between Wake, Winslow, and the seagull. This is a hell Winslow cannot escape from haunted by a murder he committed, doomed to be haunted on this hellacious rock for the rest of time.
Obviously with both of our characters being named Thomas the idea that they are the same person has to be put on the table. This also goes with the idea that this Lighthouse is some kind of purgatory that is keeping Thomas here trapped forever. This is why the boat never comes to get them. I also think the strongest evidence for this is in the seagulls, Wake says that inside them are the souls of sailors that have met their makers and the main seagull that causes Winslow his trouble very noticeably has one eye missing. If we go all the way to the very end of the movie we see that as Winslow is laying dying outside the lighthouse and birds eat his organs that one of his eyes has been pecked out. This would lead me to believe that these two characters also could be the same creating some triangle between Wake, Winslow, and the seagull. This is a hell Winslow cannot escape from haunted by a murder he committed, doomed to be haunted on this hellacious rock for the rest of time.
Though on a repeat viewing more than either of those previous theories the one I found the most evidence for was one I discovered while listening to the Next Best Picture podcast review of the film where I believe it was Bianca Garner who brought up that this movie could be a metaphor for religion. On the podcast and in my mind this was moved on from pretty quickly but watching the film again with this lens in the back of my mind the relationships all add up. Winslow would be humanity while Wake is Jesus or God, the top of the Lighthouse with the light itself would be heaven. God is able to move between these two areas freely but stops humans from reaching the glory of heaven. While humanity slaves away making a life for themselves and doing the hard work god's job is simply to enjoy heaven and judge humanity just like Wake does to Winslow. This is a major source of tension in the film with Winslow becoming more and more desperate to reach the salvation of the light even begging on his knees for Wake to let him into the light. There is no doubting that the power dynamics between these two men are very similar to that of humanity and god, the film itself also gives us compelling visuals such as one where Wake naked stands over Winslow naked with the light from the lighthouse coming out of his eyes and onto Winslow. This judgment and power inequality turn Winslow against Wake claiming that he is not even a man anymore after being away from society for so long and we see Wake physically turn into a monster time and time again. One thought I had while watching the movie was that maybe Wake was not the keeper of the Lighthouse before Winslow got there but instead was the second mate who killed the real keeper and took his identity, nearly exactly what Winslow does with the Winslow identity. Maybe Wake killed for the light and is now a monster holding onto it, an evil force that doesn't belong. That would explain why he writes lies about Winslow and keeps the light so secret and safeguarded. This would also explain why Wake tempts Winslow at every point, from constantly trying to get Winslow to drink to turning into a mermaid and monster to try to get Winslow to stop beating him up trying to play into either his sexual desires or fear. Wake is a devil tempting Winslow down a bad path away from the light to protect it for himself.
It is also entirely possible that Winslow is simply seeking fulfillment in his life. He is amazed when he hears of the happiness and peace that Wake has found at this job. So much so that he was willing to leave his family behind just to be with the light. Winslow grows more hungry for the light as he sees it as the missing piece to Wake's happiness. Wake is stuck on the same crappy island with the same crappy food as Winslow yet the difference is that he gets the light, something so powerful to bring him comfort and keep him returning to the rock time and time again. Even as he is confronting Wake he says he has everything figured out except for that light, if he can only get a hold of that light then maybe he will have a chance to find peace and understand life the way Wake seems to. The nice part of a minor theory like this is that it works in junction with really any other theory I have mentioned. This just is a small added character motivation that brings another layer of depth to the characters in this film.
So there is my analysis of 4 different theories and ideas that stood out to me while watching The Lighthouse. Obviously, there is more to unpack with things like the connections to Greek mythology, the constant debate and anger that comes from names and name calling, and the constant farting from Wake not even having been brought up in any of these. The Lighthouse is a film that is sure to be broken apart and deconstructed by plenty much more than I have today and I am sure that every time I watch it I will probably find something new and interesting about it. As I said, in the beginning, my goal today was not to solve this film, it was to get some thoughts out there in relation to how I was thinking at this very moment. Even tomorrow as I have more time to think about some of the ideas I started to consider while writing this piece like Wake being an evil spirit who has stolen the light I might have completely different views on. Feel free to go on twitter and tell me what your main theories and ideas are, the best way to engage deeper with a film like this is to discuss it with others. That's been my ramble on The Lighthouse, if you haven't already do check out my full review of the film here and follow me on Twitter for all updates on reviews and other articles I post!
It is also entirely possible that Winslow is simply seeking fulfillment in his life. He is amazed when he hears of the happiness and peace that Wake has found at this job. So much so that he was willing to leave his family behind just to be with the light. Winslow grows more hungry for the light as he sees it as the missing piece to Wake's happiness. Wake is stuck on the same crappy island with the same crappy food as Winslow yet the difference is that he gets the light, something so powerful to bring him comfort and keep him returning to the rock time and time again. Even as he is confronting Wake he says he has everything figured out except for that light, if he can only get a hold of that light then maybe he will have a chance to find peace and understand life the way Wake seems to. The nice part of a minor theory like this is that it works in junction with really any other theory I have mentioned. This just is a small added character motivation that brings another layer of depth to the characters in this film.
So there is my analysis of 4 different theories and ideas that stood out to me while watching The Lighthouse. Obviously, there is more to unpack with things like the connections to Greek mythology, the constant debate and anger that comes from names and name calling, and the constant farting from Wake not even having been brought up in any of these. The Lighthouse is a film that is sure to be broken apart and deconstructed by plenty much more than I have today and I am sure that every time I watch it I will probably find something new and interesting about it. As I said, in the beginning, my goal today was not to solve this film, it was to get some thoughts out there in relation to how I was thinking at this very moment. Even tomorrow as I have more time to think about some of the ideas I started to consider while writing this piece like Wake being an evil spirit who has stolen the light I might have completely different views on. Feel free to go on twitter and tell me what your main theories and ideas are, the best way to engage deeper with a film like this is to discuss it with others. That's been my ramble on The Lighthouse, if you haven't already do check out my full review of the film here and follow me on Twitter for all updates on reviews and other articles I post!