The mermaid in The Lighthouse is less obliging. Eggers wrote "The Lighthouse" screenplay with his brother, Max Eggers, and a sex scene between Pattinson's character and a mermaid (Valeriia Karaman) forced the two to do their research on. All in all, what the mythological and literary illusions all add up to is the theme of man's eternal battle with forces of nature much more powerful than them. They have a sense of guilt, of wrong. Also, don't see The Lighthouse, Mom. The Lighthouse follows two lighthouse keepers who slowly descend into madness when a storm leaves them stranded on a remote island.In one explicit scene, Pattinson's character Thomas Howard is . Both Sides of a Breakup: She Didnt Tell Her Family She Was Dating a Woman, At Bottega Veneta, Characters You May Know. Also, the way he eventually kills Thomas with an ax calls back to Ephraim's previous occupation as a timberman. Less agreed, but, fine. Underwater breathingSeductionManipulationHypnotic presenceTelepathy (possibly) Unable to displace his anger in sex, he just has to live with it all: the isolation and sexual frustration and Dafoe's condescension. Robert Pattinson Despises Talking About 'Addictive' Body Transformations for Roles: It's 'Embarrassing' The Mermaid is a major antagonist in the 2019 psychological-horror fantasy film The Lighthouse. How Anastasia Beverly Hillss Founder Gets Her Skin So Good. Contents 1 Appearance 2 Role in the film 3 Explanation 3.1 Theory 1 3.2 Theory 2 4 Gallery 5 Trivia Heres how it works. Or (and we'll touch on this more later), you can see Thomas and Ephraim as representing two parts of the same person. (Editor's note: 2019, y'all.) Thomas Howard, or better known by his alias Ephraim Winslow, is the villain protagonist of the 2019 psychological-horror fantasy film The Lighthouse. It was a 180 from everything wed done in rehearsal, and I could see Robert [Eggers] a little in shock afterward. However, when Winslow masturbates to the scrimshaw he fantasizes whilst having a detailed but brief vision of himself having sex with the mermaid before abruptly stopping. Early on in the film, Pattinson's character finds a mermaid figurine in his bed, nestled in a hole about midway down his mattress. But the shark vagina had some things about it that look slightly human.". Mom, stop reading now. The Lighthouse - Mermaid scene - Accordion Petite Fleur (Sidney Bechet) Audrey 14 subscribers Subscribe 9 7.5K views 2 years ago Film: The Lighthouse (2019) Song by: Accordon Mlancolique. Full Name There's a lot of heteronormative stuff too, like Thomas humiliating Ephraim by forcing him to do all the more "feminine" domestic duties, which leads him to even say that he didn't sign up to be anybody's wife. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. And that anger comes back to haunt him. The myths that The Lighthouse mainly parallels, however, are those of Proteus and Prometheus. Theres no moral judgment in this story. Many moviegoers found themselves intrigued but confused after watching the movie about two lighthouse keepers trying to keep their sanity. Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse is a strange and amazing tale about two men fighting alcoholism and insanity, while stranded together on a lighthouse in the late 1800s. Defoe felt the film portrays toxic masculinity more than anything. Eggers wrote The Lighthouse screenplay with his brother, Max Eggers, and a sex scene between Pattinsons character and a mermaid (Valeriia Karaman) forced the two to do their research on mermaid vaginas. 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. I was pretty conscious of how I wanted the relationship to come across. Evil-doer You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. From early on in the film, Ephraim has been captivated by the idea of a mermaid, lusting after and caressing a wooden figurine of one he finds in the sleeping quarters that he shares with Thomas. In the scene at the end when Ephraim finally gets to gaze into the lighthouse, the literal darkness of the black-and-white film is eradicated by its blinding light. I think that this is a great case where, by making it seems plausible, it really called into question what we the viewers were seeing, which was great. 2023 IndieWire Media, LLC. Cookie Notice Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. I like to make art and write fiction in my free time. This image released by A24 Films shows Willem Dafoe, left, and Robert Pattinson in a scene from "The Lighthouse." . Lets talk through it: After spending an unknown amount of time together in the same lighthouse, the patience of Robert Pattinson's Ephraim with Willem Dafoes Thomas begins to slip away. She frequently appears throughout the film after Ephraim Winslow discovers and keeps a scrimshaw of her. And theres pent-up anger and pent-up erotic energy and pent-up smells. Given the Prometheus allusions, the lantern is probably meant to contain some sort of understanding of the universe. As the situation (and Ephraims mental state) continue to worsen, entire weeks start disappearing from Ephraims memory and the tension between the two lighthouse keepers reaches a breaking point. 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Pattinson told Interview magazinein 2018 that making The Lighthouse was a kind of torture, and one scene in which he was getting sprayed in the face with water got so extreme he nearly punched Eggers in the face. Is it a Robert Pattinson stan? Decade by Decade: Black Women Musicians, Activists Alike, Tea After Dark: Interview With Rachael Greene on How Horror Movies Can Improve Our Mental Health, Tea After Dark: 5 Cold Cases that Should have Been Solved Years Ago, A Little Bit Human: Episode 11 Losing Your Best Friend to a Cult, 22 Movies Where the Lesbians Get a Happy Ending, Coming of Age Horror Movies About How Scary It Is to Be Young, 9 of the Best New Years Eve Movies to Ring in the New Year. In the long run, a lighthouse cannot save you from the unforgiving sea though. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Ephraim literally is the only figure in The Lighthouse to come from the outside world and want to go back into it. The one-eyed seagull then flies over, sits on top of the cistern, and starts squawking at Ephraim in a mocking manner. Origin The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox. Ephraim is supposed to be brought back to the mainland, but the boat that is meant to get him never arrives. And in the words of Indiana Jones. What Does the Ending of 'American Psycho' Mean? A filmmaker herself, she was drawn to it out of an appreciation for Eggerss work, and says that The Lighthouse is one of her favorite movies. What does it all mean? He then places a leash on him and walks him out of the house like a dog before burying him alive. So it's this empty desire. It turns out the buyer, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a woman. The whole story seems to be about these two men examining their inner selves and slowly coming to grips with the people that they are. "Well," Eggers starts when I ask about the mermaid vagina, before explaining that the major source of inspiration came from female shark genitals, "we were looking at oysters and shellfish that sort of like looked labial. But the shark vagina had some things about it that look slightly human.". The mermaids, for example, are similar to the sirens from The Odyssey who attempt to lead lost sailors to their death. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. That didn't stop the actor from. The ability for this movie to be able to potentially match up with a greek myth, explore psychology or examine masculinity is incredibly impressive. Very quickly, it becomes obvious that this isn't a job for everyone. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. Previously associate editor at Kill Screen, you can also find her words on Vice, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Vox, and others. Plus: Maximilian Daviss second main collection for Ferragamo was an impressive step up from his debut. Its always nice to do something massive for your opening shot, and I went really massive on the first take. Brought to you by Lighthouse Immersive (who you might know from other themed exhibits like Van Gogh), the Disney Animation: Immersive Experience opened on Tuesday, February 28 at the Lighthouse . So, what would you see if you look inside the lantern from The Lighthouse? The work is tiring. We start to question whether he's deliberately pushing Ephraim into insanity after hearing of how his last wickie died. Is This Really Tom Bradys Plan to Win Gisele Back? There is a lesson to be learned. Ephraim is trying to reach it the entire movie and once he looks into it it does not give him what he wants. The movie was inspired by an actual story that involved two lighthouse keepers who both had the same name. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. The lighthouse itself could be seen as a symbol for desire. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. (The scene evokes Harvey Keitel stroking a hole in Holly Hunter's stocking in "The Piano," another 19th-century Gothic tale.) He might've even cursed Ephraim to this fate in that moment all because the younger man didn't like his cooking. In his words: Toxic masculinity! Thinking of The Lighthouse in a more metaphorical sense, the two characters in the film could be representative of the push and pull between Freuds Ego and Id in the brain. The same name I went really massive on the first take is probably to... Younger man did n't like his cooking view another page felt the film portrays masculinity. 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