Director: Chris Crow
Writer: Paul Bryant, Chris Crow, Michael Jibson (Screenplay)
Starring: Mark Lewis Jones, Michael Jibson, Ian Vrigo, Nathan Sussex, Gerald Tyler, Stephane McDade, Joshua Richards
Plot: Based on real events which saw two lighthouse keepers stranded for months at sea in a freak storm, the film tells a tale of death, madness and isolation; a desolate trip into the heart of human darkness.
Tagline – Save Our Souls…
Runtime: 1 Hour 42 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Slow Moving Thriller
Story: The Lighthouse starts in the year of 1805, two men Thomas Griffiths (Jones) the head lighthouse keeper and Thomas Howell (Jibson) must man the lighthouse 25 miles from land in one of the most dangerous straights of water in the Irish sea. With only each other to keep themselves company, things are going smoothly to start with.
When a storm comes to the lighthouse and the two men must survive on limited rations until the storm passes, here is where madness comes out in the men as they have no idea how long it will be until they are rescued.
Thoughts on The Lighthouse
Characters – We have two Thomas’ here, Griffiths has been a lighthouse keeper for years, it runs in his family, he knows the commitment needed to cope with the condition they may well be facing. Howell has found religion after his own errors, he doesn’t see eye to eye with Griffiths and his beliefs are considered bad luck. We see how both the men must deal with the idea of being trapped, they cope in different ways.
Performances – When we look at performances we have a two man show here, Mark Lewis Jones and Michael Jibson are both great as you do believe their minds going as the film unfolds.
Story – The story is meant to be based on a real story, it keeps things looking at how the men would survive not knowing how long the storm will last with dwindling resources. The time period helps us too because there is no quick fix for the situation. I would have liked to have seen more of how the lighthouse operates because when it comes to dealing with the wait, the pace of the story slows down and there isn’t too many directions the twists and turns could go in the waiting process.
Thriller – The film does want to keep us guessing to how long or if the men will make it through the storm, this is where everything it placed for the tension required in the film.
Settings – The film takes place on the lighthouse, it gives us complete isolation from any rescue and show us how the madness could take over from the endless wait.
Scene of the Movie – The final 20 minutes.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The storm doesn’t feel like it is deadly enough to stop ships.
Final Thoughts – This is a slow-moving thriller that is meant to be based on a real event, it is an interesting idea because we know the one or two people based films in a singular location can keep us on edge, if the performance connects. The performances are good, but sadly the story does hit a lull in the middle.
Overall: Slow moving, cut 20 minutes you would have a tidy thriller.
Rating
