Art Cinema and Robert Egger’s The Lighthouse

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Art Cinema and Robert Egger’s The Lighthouse

Introduction:

Movies are the highest form of art because they incorporate a great variety of writing,
storytelling, photography, drawing, painting, concept art, animation, visual aspect, music, and
other skills into a single piece. An art film is created primarily for aesthetics and often employs
an experimental experience with unconventional yet hugely symbolic content which targets a
limited audience. The purpose of this essay is to explore Robert Egger’s 2019 horror film, The
Lighthouse, and its connection to art cinema. Art cinema has earned its definition from the
cognitive theoretical paradigm which has been extensively described by Bordwell as a
parametric narrative. The gist of the discussion will be why The Lighthouse is regarded as Art
Cinema and whether or not the movie category matches the definition of Avant-Garde. Several
themes are covered by the film, and essentially, the definition will examine the critical aspects
that make the film suit the example of an art cinema. Furthermore, the subtle film techniques
will help create mysticism and how the examples support an avant-garde category. Finally, a
clear distinction will be made between whether or not the film is an art cinema or just another
thrilling horror movie.

I: What is Art Cinema?

Defining art cinema is always complex and challenging but my researchers and filmmakers
believe that this genre refers to an artistic or experimental work with expressive symbolic
meaning delivered through the film as a medium. The primary elements that denote art film
include ambiguity, complexity, and lack of commercial fit rather than rich aesthetic display.
According to David Bordwell, the founder of cognitive film theory (Bordwell, 1985), art cinema
is a distinct branch of film practice with historical significance and marked by specific formal
conventions. In comparison to classical cinema which employs narrative form as cinematic
representation and where the psychological construction is developed through goal-oriented
characterization, art cinema employs loosen and ambiguous cause-effect linkage of events
where typically, characters are bereft of distinct desires or goals and the author appears as a
formal component of the film structure. As such, Bordwell noted that art cinema is a unique
form of film narration and an alternative to the traditional dominant classical Hollywood
narrative. However, Bordwell insisted that the lines between art cinema and dominant classical
Hollywood narrative are quite unclear as the two continue to inform and influence one another.
Howver, Bordwell (1985) implies that art cinema defines itself as a realistic cinema and
primarily established through realism. However, realism is different from verisimilitude which is
the tenet of classical cinema narration.

The notion of ‘art film’ emerged in the interdisciplinary creative environment of Paris in the
1910s and 1920s. The relationships between cinema and visual art have triggered much
scholarly debate since the emergence of film. Both philosophical and theoretical approaches
have been used to explore these complex relationships. Art cinema was a term coined to
delineate specific filmmakers, specific films, specific cinemas and writers, and sometimes,
specific audiences. Subsequently, the term implied auteurs like Michelangelo Antoni, Federica
Fellini, Jean-Luc Godard, and Ingmar Bergman, and films like L’Avventura (1960), About de
soufflé (1960), and Det Sjunde Inseglet (1957). These art cinemas were small film theaters with
the audience for the films drawn from a highly educated urban intelligentsia.

Studies reveal that art cinema is the most diverse genre with striking features that are
unusually shown in other film categories. For example, art cinema is greatly inspired by the
desire to represent real problems in society, and by doing so, the director uses psychologically
diverse characters (Thoms & Hitchcock, 2019). Typically, art cinema focuses on the director's
interpretation more than the characters in the film. Furthermore, the audience in art cinema
can become disturbed by the interrupted scenes and hysterical characters thus attempting to
dig for the deeper meaning of the film.

Cardullo (2011) identified two typical characteristics of art-house cinema, which are their
expressiveness regarding the national concern. The researcher elaborated that art-house
cinema is the embodiment of the national culture and this feature makes them intentionally
marketable. Secondly, Cardullo (2011) described art-house cinema as a genre that conforms
with the aspect of taste as a typical feature of ‘high art.’ The artful technique makes make not
necessarily entertaining but rather focuses on aesthetics. Cardullo said, “Art-house films are
typically characterized by aesthetic norms that are different from those of classical narrative
films; they are made within a somewhat less rationalized system of production; and they are
often supported by government policies designed to promote distinctive national cinemas”
(Cardullo, 2011). Works like the short films by David Lynch, Maya Deren, Andy Warhol, and
films like Mulholland Drive, Nymphomaniac, and The Witch are art cinemas that are purely
experimental works with high art aesthetics which make them different from commercial films.
David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive is an art cinema as seen through fragmented geography, lack of
frills set designs, multi-layered interpretations, and the powerful soundtrack. The film's key
drive is to give the audience all the thrills of a classic Hollywood movie within an avant-garde
category. However, it is the twist that causes the unfathomable Moebius strip that makes the
film a unique work of art. On the other hand, The Witch is particularly of interest because it was
made by the same director of The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers. The two films are companion
pieces because each hides a strange and supernatural light within it. The Witch, for example,
creates an atmosphere of surreal sense of displacement. The longer the film and narrative
continue, the more the uncertainty of time is revealed and the characters come to realize they
each of them are bound by some temporal reality. The Witch seems a little more contemporary
in format due to its color and standard aspect ratio, but the sense of isolation is sustained as
both prevalent and aggressive themes in both films while, at the same time, religion plays a
central role to retain the semblance of normalcy. For instance in The Witch, after Thomasin and
her family are exiled due to a religious squabble, they settle in a harsh home environment, with
poisonous soil. The kind of isolation created in the film is of interest especially when Ephraim
appears as more of a stranger.

II: The Lighthouse as Art Cinema

This movie is directed by Robert Eggers. Just like The Witch, the film focuses on the theme of
isolation and the role of religion. The Lighthouse is about two men, Ephraim Winslow and
Thomas Wake who are the keepers of the isolated lighthouse on an island. The movie begins
with Thomas and Winslow arriving on a boat and beginning their night shift. The two keepers
are supposed to be on the watch for the next four weeks. Thomas has been doing the job for a
long time thus he has all the knowledge and experience to guide Winslow in performing several
tasks. During this time, Thomas makes Winslow undertake some rituals of lighthouse keeping
such as beginning every meal with a toast, not killing a seabird, and taking a large amount of
alcohol. It is the structure of the rituals that seem to keep Thomas alive through the four weeks.
When Winslow kills a seabird, Thomas is infuriated and only eases after-dinner drinks when he
wears a jovial intoxication lauding Winslow as a friend with a strong working ethic. Unlike
Thomas, Winslow is never apt for the rituals to maintain his sanity on the island as gulls taunt
him and he begins to experience hallucinations of mermaids. Winslow breaks a couple of ritual
structures such as killing a seagull, a reason why Thomas constantly criticizes him. Winslow's
frustrations are exacerbated by his constant farts, the occasional blast of the foghorn,
disturbing gulls on the island, ticking clock, and the isolated environment. Each of the men finds
companionship from objects or the environment. For instance, Thomas has found salvation in
basking under the sun naked, and he deems his action, not just a spiritual endeavor but also a
moment of intimacy. As for Winslow, he finds his intimacy from a mermaid which he holds
while masturbating. Eventually, Winslow begins hallucinating about a mermaid washed by
water, with which he hallucinates having sex.

As the four weeks elapse, a storm rages the lighthouse which keeps them secluded on the
island. The two men wait hopefully for a ship of new watchers to relieve them to no avail. The
two men continue to watch and Winslow reaches a breaking point where he begins following
the suit in Thomas' rituals. They turn their agony into a merry island, singing, and dancing while
holding hands, and swaying back and forth. After a playful moment of teasing, the two drunken
men share each other’s deepest secrets. The Lighthouse employs a series of undertones that
pass the audiences’ attention, although they are purposefully made ambiguous for the viewers
to interpret them themselves. Moreover, the Old English dialect dominates the film.
Furthermore, some dialogues are so incoherent that some major critical themes are easily
missed as the director employs crafted writing.

III: Parametric Narrative in The Lighthouse

The parametric narration implies a unique technique used in art house cinemas that involve
"style centered, permutation, and poetic" narration. According to Bordwell (1985), this kind of
narration uses a stylistic norm in the film that determines how the images are presented,
always with repeated themes and motifs to emphasize a certain mood or a pattern. For
example, in The Lighthouse, motifs are created using the images of the sea, the lighthouse
itself, and seagulls. For instance, seagulls are used as the symbol of freedom in the marine
world. The two watchers, especially Thomas, are cautious not to hurt them because the birds
could be vengeful and mislead sailors. In the entire narration, Eggers hints at Thomas and
Ephraim as mythical characters, Poseidon and Prometheus in Greek mythology. Eggers
managed to find a common feature in The Lighthouse and smartly use the virtues of both
mythical characters to clash the personalities of the two watchmen.

Bordwell (1985) emphasized that parametric narrations are essentially poetic, relying more on
sound, images, and actions to portray meaning and less on dialogue. Egger’s The Lighthouse is a
masterfully crafted work and heavily influenced by Shakespeare, and most importantly
Coleridge's poetry, "The Rime of The Ancient Mariner." The experiences of the ancient mariner
are shown in the distorted dialogue of The Lighthouse. Also, Ephraim’s encounter with the
seagull captures both poetic and mythical sense, since these creatures symbolize innocence and
should never be destroyed. Besides, Egger’s creation of characters, the framing and
composition show great control and mythically gripping nightmare. The relentlessly passionate
and psychotic performances of the characters fantastically reflect the narrative’s scorching
sound design. All these features of the film imply that The Lighthouse is a parametric narrative.
Conclusion:

The Lighthouse appeals to both the art-house and avant-garde genre in many aspects including
the fact that it depicts the impression reality of the harsh working condition never depicted on
canvas. As such, The Lighthouse is a vehicle of transgression reality, and in a sense, a story
about forbidden love. Rituals counteract isolation and, therefore, distort any meaningful
connection between the two men. Artistically, the geographic isolation of the two men from
the rest of the world surmounts the physical isolation when the two are not drunk. The
mermaid totem, Thomas' rituals, and Winslow's stoic isolation are artistically espoused as
rituals around intimacy as the two men struggle to obviate any kind of true intimacy that could
happen out of their drunkenness. However, despite these key aspects,

Lighthouse subverts the expectations of both genres and creates its own unrelenting style. For
example, the mystified writing makes the viewer question the actual intent of the film and the
reason behind the visuals. As such, the art-house genre appears so vast that it is hard to locate
at ago. Nonetheless, The Lighthouse is an interesting movie deserving of multiple viewing.
Specifically, Egger’s direction steams up the film like a lighthouse in the winte
 References

Bordwell, D. (1985). Narration in the fiction. Madison: University of Wisconsin

Cardullo, B. (2011). Art-house cinema, avant-garde film, and dramatic modernism. Journal of
Aesthetic Education, 45(2), 1-16.
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Derkson, K. (2019). The Lighthouse. Journal of Religion & Film, 23(2), 1-13.
[Link]

Thoms, A., & Hitchcock, A. (2019). Parametric Narration and Optical Transition Devices: Hou
Hsiaohsien and Robert Bresson in Comparison.