I realize the artistry of the film and both actors were extraordinary, but, honestly the movie exhausted me and was excruciating to watch. I get that the black and white photography was supposed to add to the moody atmosphere but the film was downright bleak and would have been bleak even in color. As others have said, it went on seemingly forever without actually going anywhere. Pattison deserves an award for the hard work he put into the role. It really was a tour de force. Some of Defoe's monologues were poetic and delivered exceedingly well, but they also came off as pretentious.
It seemed like the director was aiming to get awards for his brilliance, but, sadly, that attempt at brilliance was far too obvious. He was successful in highlighting the talents of the two actors, but the story was rather pointless.
After watching it, I read that it was the same director who did "The Witch", which was another overly long movie with an unsatisfying conclusion. Both films, despite the hype they got, were disappointing.
Review of The Lighthouse
