We're not straying from spoilers in here. As Eggers summarizes at the end of the interview, everything he writes is "Jungian-inclined" meaning he's working with symbols and archetypes that psychoanalyst Carl Jung described as part of the collective unconscious. While Robert Eggers has never answered that question directly, we can infer some answers from the context of the movie. 2023 IndieWire Media, LLC. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), What Is Project Blue Beam? And that's where the real work of movie-making began. The scene of Robert Pattinson fervently masturbating to a mermaid figurine in 2019s The Lighthouse a film about two men who slowly lose their minds while stranded in the titular lighthouse is not one you soon forget. Dafoe . The idea of desire is also explored in a sexual way in the Lighthouse. On day one we shot Rob masturbating in the shed its the very first thing we shot and Rob really, really went for it, Eggers said. The mermaid catching Winslow off guard during his fight with Thomas Wake. The movie also implies that our unreliable narrator was never of sound mind even before arriving on the island. Understandable. And theres pent-up anger and pent-up erotic energy and pent-up smells. The work is tiring. The Mermaid is a siren who was summoned when Winslow found and took the scrimshaw of her. Its buyer who purchased it for $110,750 is shrouded in mystery. One was all about the Kraken. Thomas as Proteus makes a lot of sense, too, since Proteus is an old, prophecy-telling ocean god who serves Poseidon, and who Homer called the "Old Man of the Sea." She frequently appears throughout the film after Ephraim Winslow discovers and keeps a scrimshaw of her. She would continue to haunt Winslow until his final confrontation and beatdown with Thomas Wakewhere she briefly appears and catches him off-guard during his fight with Wake. Going the way they did brought the movie right up there with the best of Cronenberg's fascination and horror with the organic. The Galaxy Tab S7+ is back at its all-time low price plus more of the best deals of the day, Get a Roomba S9+ and Braava Jet m6 for under $1,000 plus more of today's best deals, Today's best deals include an Apple Watch Series 7 at its lowest price ever, a cheap Ninja blender, and more, Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for March 2, We need to talk about 'The Strays' bold ending, Wordle today: Here's the answer, hints for March 1, Prince Harry answering Stephen Colbert's quickfire questions gets into the real stuff. Powers / Skills After Thomas sees him throw a rock at the bird, he cautions Ephraim that killing a seagull is bad luck, because they hold the souls of fallen sailors. Less agreed, but, fine. This eventually leads to the most violent masturbation scene I've ever seen. The Northman star, Anya Taylor-Joy, is revealing that she had asked to be the mermaid in Robert Eggers' previous feature, The Lighthouse, but the director said no. Sounds Like King Charles Is Evicting Harry and Meghan, Im Afraid Ive Aged Out of My Line of Work. Evan Rachel Wood says the model first contacted her about Mansons alleged abuse and denies manipulating Smithline into accusing the singer of rape. Related Share on Facebook (opens in a new window), Share on Flipboard (opens in a new window), William Dafoe's Thomas could drive anyone to insanity, The phallic symbols speak for themselves here, Pattinson certainly makes for a sexy Prometheus, Today's best deals include a half-priced Echo Dot, 40% off the Eufy video doorbell, and more. Massive SPOILERS ahead for The Lighthouse. But most of it can be chalked up to Ephraim dreaming or fantasizing or being paranoid. As Robert Eggers said, the idea of the pair sharing the same name struck a chord with the writers and made them decide to make a film about identity.. What ultimately drives our protagonist to madness is up for debate though too, as well as whether Thomas deliberately manipulated him into it. Alias Much like the suitcase in Quentin Tarantinos Pulp Fiction, the audience is meant to decide for themselves what is inside the lantern at the top of the lighthouse. Many moviegoers found themselves intrigued but confused after watching the movie about two lighthouse keepers trying to keep their sanity. The two hours of madness that follow ensures you leave the film not knowing which way is north or south. Thomas isn't just the perfect archetype of an old seafaring man; he also makes that uncannily accurate prediction for how Ephraim will die at the end of the movie. Robert Pattinson's Masturbation Scene Is Wild, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. All Rights Reserved. He imagines the mermaid throughout the film, fantasizing about her and what she might look like. The former quarterback is reportedly considering.comedy? It was a 180 from everything wed done in rehearsal, and I could see Robert [Eggers] a little in shock afterward. 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. I've only seen The Lighthouse once, but Ephraim's masturbation scene (part II) was pretty impactful on my interpretation of the film. 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].". Robert Eggers The Lighthouse is one of the years most acclaimed genre offerings, and the behind-the-scenes stories from the films grueling production are quickly becoming as insane as the film itself (see Robert Pattinson eating mud and vomiting). Ephraim eventually confesses that his real name is Thomas Howard, and that hed stolen the identity from the real Ephraim Winslow, a man he murdered before coming to the island. By Annie Lord. Everything on screen matters when you're trying to build a world. (Editor's note: 2019, y'all.) That might explain why he ends up barking like a dog by the end of the film? Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. Ephraim sees her cold and breathless, washed up on the seafront's jagged rocks. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Please refresh the page and try again. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Meanwhile, Thomas spends most of his time either at the top of the lighthouse during the night or asleep during the day. Though when it came to filmmakers debut film The Witch, we could settle for the ambiguity. Meanwhile, Thomas gets exclusive, in a way, with the phallic symbol of the lighthouse. Film. His character was so into mermaid, that the first shot of the shoot, Pattinson's DAY ONE, was him masturbating to mermaids. I also love to play basketball and cook dishes from all over the world! Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. Well, my first shot was this ferocious masturbation scene. 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. Early on in the film, Pattinson's character finds a mermaid figurine in his bed, nestled in a hole about midway down his mattress. All Rights Reserved. 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. The Mermaid started making her presence known when Ephraim Winslow finds and keeps a scrimshaw of her. I am an admin of this site. In The Lighthouses case, Willem Dafoes character would be the god and Pattinson holds the role of Prometheus. 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. In this case, it's this strange rage jerk, but the thesis is still there: sex is used as a power grab, and every time that happens, there's always going to be someone who finds themselves on the bottom. Or (and we'll touch on this more later), you can see Thomas and Ephraim as representing two parts of the same person. For Winslow, the mermaid is a fetish, a replacement for . Why would Thomas keep killing his assistants? But I was like, OK, cool, I didnt get told to stop, so Ill keep going in that direction. (Definition and Examples), IMAX Is a Force To Be Reckoned With at Box Offices (to No Ones Surprise), Three Brands You Need To Keep On Your Radar To Get Perfect Lighting. Likewise, the mermaids seem to be coaxing Ephraim down a spiral staircase to insanity and ultimately death. By that reasoning as the story progresses, his id is killed off by his ego, which cannot live without the other. Heres how it works. As the work continues and the weather worsens, Ephraim grows more and more resentful towards Thomas. Often people analyze "fire" in this legend as a metaphor for knowledge, with literal light standing in for the "illumination" or "enlightenment" of mankind. Based on that, I believe that the lantern acts as a sort of mirror. Since the movie was in black and white, all of the detail put into it doesn't truly pop on screen. Jess is an LA-based culture critic who covers intimacy in the digital age, from sex and relationship to weed and all media (tv, games, film, the web). The Mermaid The image is unmistakable: Theory #2: Thomas And Ephraim Are The Same Person, Delving further in the concepts of The Lighthouse, another theory is the two main characters in the film are supposed to represent two different sides of the same mind at odds with one another. Pattinsons character would represent the ego, which is known as the part of the id that is modified directly by the influence of the external world. That's not to say a little frustration isn't warranted because Robert Pattinson's character is a guy who is on an isolated island with a dude he hates, doing a job he hates. The movie has been a favorite on the festival circuit, winning a critics' award at Cannes. Much like the last shot of the movie, Prometheus' punishment for this theft is to be chained to a rock as he's eaten alive by an eagle, a torture that lasts all eternity since he's immortal and can never truly die. The Lighthouse | Official Trailer 2 HD | A24 Watch on Go To Homepage Before You Go Ron Dicker General Assignment Reporter, HuffPost Something in the water is calling out for Ephraim. On the Moby Dick front, similar to the whale, the lighthouse can be seen as a symbol for man's hubris in trying to overcome or conquer nature's most powerful forces. The lighthouse itself could be seen as a symbol for desire. That mermaid might be his fuck objectand a figurinebut she gets the last sea screech. Privacy Policy. Theres no moral judgment in this story. Its all going to a good cause. The Lighthouse - The Mermaid TheOncomingStorm 38.3K subscribers Subscribe 1.7K Save 205K views 3 years ago Show more Notice Age-restricted video (based on Community Guidelines) Almost yours: 2. What's a "Wunza" Movie or TV Show? Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Given the Prometheus allusions, the lantern is probably meant to contain some sort of understanding of the universe. He constantly refers to the lighthouse as she/her, equating her to a better wife than any living woman. It all leads to a spiral of madness that even Eggers won't confirm the meaning of, but to put it simply, it ends with Pattinson getting his insides eaten by birds. Then you see it flip-flop and its kind of cool. I cannot wait to see what kind of insane things Eggers comes up with next. As revealed in the film, they are both named Thomas. Ephraim then makes his way up to the top of the lighthouse Thomas never allowed him to see. I'd like to believe that's his sexualized anger eating him from the inside out. This couldn't be a Disney's Ariel or Splash mermaid. Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to 'Wordle' #621. It seems that all of the sea-tales he tells throughout the entire movie were fabricated. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. With Prometheus and Proteus in mind, we can draw a conclusion that The Lighthouse may be seeking to use these mythical Greek characters to tell a story through a new lens. And she wants to delay her 11-year prison sentence. Thomas Howard, or better known by his alias Ephraim Winslow, is the villain protagonist of the 2019 psychological-horror fantasy film The Lighthouse. The mermaid in The Lighthouse is less obliging. Good luck with that. They have a sense of guilt, of wrong. Willems character could just be a normal boss, but theres some kind of sub/dom relationship or something where Im exaggerating in my mind his dominance over me because I kind of want it in a strange kind of way. The film's makeup effects team was comprised of Kathy Tse and Adrian Morot. The Cuts Lindsay Peoples moderates a conversation at the New Museum about art and storytelling and how tech can help and hinder both. Hopefully, they had an intimacy coordinator on set to suss that one out.