PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Based on actual events taking place in 1801, The Lighthouse is about two men, Thomas Griffiths (Mark Lewis Jones) and Thomas Howell (Michael Jibson), who are sent to man a lighthouse on Smalls Island, 25 miles off the Welsh coast in the Irish Sea. They are given food and provisions, but otherwise are alone on little more than a barren rock. The men are very aware of the importance of their task.
The men settle into a mundane routine, with Howell showing a sense of piety that Griffiths clearly finds irritating. There is an verbal incident between the men that insinuates that Howell committed a terrible mistake in his past, something Griffiths still holds against him. Soon, a terrible storm rages around them, and both men, unnerved, find themselves clinging to their own form of solace… Griffiths to a bottle of whiskey, and Howell to his Bible.
“We live and die to keep those at sea safe.”
The men are aware that, until the storm lets up, no one can come and rescue them. Initially, it is the older, wiser Griffiths that recognizes that their duty must come before their own fears, but this mood soon begins to shift. As the storm rages outside, Griffiths and Howell battle each other about morality, faith, and finally, who has the will to survive.
Directed by Chris Crow (Devil’s Bridge, Panic Button), The Lighthouse is a beautifully shot, moody film. Nominated for five BAFTA awards including Best Director and Best Actor, winning Best Visual Effects, The Lighthouse opens in select theaters July 6 and VOD July 10. Although shot in color, it is so washed out that it almost looks black and white. The deeply isolated environment serves as the perfect foil for the intense relationship between the two men. The acting from Jibson and Jones is incredible. The Lighthouse is a harrowing tale of life, death, and faith under the worst possible circumstances.
