Sorry about all the fog and slo mo. Had to upload this 6 times before the copyright demons would let it through. EDIT: I refer to the way Wake switches from "Friend" to "Boss" on a whim as "Schizophrenic" at one point. This isn't an accurate description of how schizophrenia works, it's just a stupid stereotype that I rather recklessly wrote in without thinking. Sorry to anybody bothered by that.
I know this vid is two years old but an interesting thing I wanted to add; when you’re a ship at sea, a lighthouse is not something you go towards, it’s something you avoid. They mark hazardous waters, full of rocks and shallows. Howard and wake both battle over it and you’re never meant to be near it in the first place.
I've always felt that DeFoe was a superb actor, but his portrayal of Thomas Wake made all of his other roles look like freshman attempts. The accent, alone, was a magnificent achievement, but he really lost himself in this character. Anyone who watches this film, whether they realize it or not, is witnessing an historic level of acting...and I doubt that I'll see its equal before I die.
This movie hits me hard now. I watched it first when it came out, I had caught it in theaters. I liked it but didn’t consider it much. But then not long after, I was an assistant living in an unfamiliar place, living with my crazy, old, emotionally unstable boss, when quarantine hit, and we basically had no company but each other for months. This movie was on my mind a lot during those months.
kgpspyguy well personally while I find this video’s analysis very interesting, it’s not how I initially read the film. Seeing as the two characters have the same name, and are referred to as “young” and “old”, and we’re seeing Young just beginning his career as a lighthouse keeper as Old is clearly nearing the end, I read it as they’re basically the same person, just at different points of their lives. And with that context, I saw this film as a reflection on isolation - on the torment of having to be alone with yourself.
5:35 IMO people have been getting the seagull’s symbolism backwards. Perhaps that _was_ Wake’s former dead partner’s head in the lobster trap. But the _seagull_ is a representation of the former partner. In that when Howard kills the seagull, he is re-enacting Wake’s brutal murder of his former partner. Howard sees the seagull as Wake saw his former partner, always pecking at him, trying to get a piece of what Wake had. This would align with one of the central themes of the movie, and possibly its central horror, which is that Howard IS Wake. They are the same person, at different points in time, and with different relationships to power and property. By killing the seagull, Howard is proving that if he were in Wake’s position he would do the same. This is what is meant by “seagulls carrying the souls of dead sailors” as well as bad luck. By killing the seagull, Howard sets the cycle of killing into motion once again. There is no truth in this movie, because it is each character’s motivation which distorts their perception of events. Each sees themselves as the hero for trying to fulfill their own desires. But neither perspective is reality.
BROOO I legit thought "what if they're the same person" in that dinner scene ALSO SINCE THE SCRIPT REFERS TO THEM AS YOUNG AND OLD it's old Thomas and young Thomas they're the same perrroosnnn holy shit
Of course both men are the same person, one just needs to remember the very beginning o the film, how they move on board as the ship is getting closer to the isle. This is a psychoanalytical movie.
Your monologue at the end really resonated with me. I'm a mental health worker. Been working in the field for 8 years. I love the work itself. It's hard work, and does not pay very well, but I'm good at it, and I get to help people. I've recently realized, though, that the field does not reward people who are passionate and work hard. It rewards people who smile and nod, and blow smoke up their manager's ass. I'm very outspoken in advocating for my clients and their needs, and that outspokenness has ultimately hurt my chances of getting promotions and moving up in the field. When I do something that proves management wrong, I'm punished for it. Even when I'm right, I'm wrong. Even when I'm a good worker, I'm a bad employee. I think I need to re-watch The Lighthouse with the perspectives you've laid out in this video. You make a lot of points that I hadn't really considered when I first watched it. Really well done video essay.
Thank you for all the hard work and time you’ve given to help others. I’m sorry that your managers don’t appreciate your concerns. I wish all workers could watch this video. Maybe it could help people treat others like actual human beings.
Thats every job ive ever had. Hard work doesn't get rewarded, asskissing does. Thats why its better to work for yourself and not somebody else. If you aren't prone to kissing ass that is.. Some people do it well, and move up the ranks and are very successful. If you fancy yourself more an individual rather than a cog in the wheel then you'd be better suited to self employment.
I had to leave being a CNA after 2 years from burn out. The higher ups really don't care they just want to cut costs more and more at the cost of the residents/patients well being and quality of care, and then the mental and physical health of their employees. Its hard and thankless and makes me sad. Everyone i know who stays in and stays kind is a saint. Good for you. I wish you all the luck man
Imagine a work that focuses on helping people... making the helping part as the motivation to 'grow' and move up the hierarchy to stop helping people and start managing people as soon as possible. Oh wait, that's pretty much all health and care jobs. Capitalism makes us, conditions us, to be ashamed of helping our brothers and sisters.
Oscar worthy...both of them...especially Dafoe..at least he got a Spirit award...this movie needed at least one oscar but the Academy is a bit soft on these films if you dont bribe them ig.
Pattinson's accent does slip a lot in intense scenes. However, the script has Pattinson revealing he isn't who he claims to be. So that could be the character. Smart writing meeting great acting. A good writer/director does this. Use what you're given. So Pattinson did a commendable job. Held his own as Willem ate the scenery. But if you squint you'll notice he's only just keeping up. (And that's okay. I didn't think he had this in him either way. Still impressive. Just not Dafoe level.)
As an underpaid worker living in a shitty one bedroom apartment, constantly saying "someday" this hit like a fucking freight train. That ending had my jaw on the floor, my hands white knuckle gripping my phone like it'd fly away if I gave it the opportunity to. You've made a masterpiece of a film analysis with this. I've never had a long form video essay hit me like this before
My dude, this. I've been down my entire life, adrift with barely a support system and the jobs I've lamded are things lile dishwashing and other cleaning jobs. It's always someday. The part about the houses. The guilt for spending 5 and not 3 at Taco Bell. Just wow dude, subbed, liked, "someday" I'll have a donation to spare to you. Wish you the best.
@@guisseppistrombopolis9082 I find your attempt to dismiss his frustration disappointing. Anyone who makes 15 an hour, or anywhere around that, is more than entitled to express their discontent towards the horrible capitalist system we live under. Do you honestly believe that someone who makes 15$ an hour is in a comfortable position? We're all fighting the same battle dude open your eyes.
That part where you talked about your work experience and driving home past normal, mid to low level houses and knowing you could never afford them. It made me cry, covered me in goosebumps. I used to be an independent contractor that walked incredibly rich people's dogs in lower Manhattan. One time a rich dog owner complained to my not boss that I smelled too bad and I was reminded of Parasite. We weren't allowed to pee in their bathrooms. I'd go into their apartments and it felt like going to another planet. I've never known that comfort and never will. The shame was so deep, so absurd and unknowable and to hear someone with near the exact experience, it made me feel good to know a lot of us are here together, we're there together.
I'm similarly floored after seeing this video essay right now. I never knew what that intense uncomfortable feeling was, and I recognise it now. You're right, the shame is so indescribably deep and yes, absurd, because we can all intellectually reject it, but it's still everlasting in its hold. The existential terror of the fragility of your literal survival and even in the best case scenario the question - how will i endure this? How long can I? What will happen when I no longer can? What if that's right now? Yeah, poors real mad.
Well said. Unfortunately wasted on some in this world who will never have such an intelligent, succinct thought or contribution, just regurgitate their edgy bile until they're repeating it to themselves in their old age for a second of something resembling happiness.
We should do something about it while we're here together. The rich are always going to prey on the poor. How do you think they got rich? Honesty, hardwork, fairness? And I'm sure they treat their employees so generously ever since their employees allowed them to achieve a level of financial success they'd never have been able to on their own if they weren't capitalizing on the poverty of others. They'd LOVE for you to believe that. They've done so since the beginning of time and will continue to do so into the distant future. I suggest a union. If there isn't one already, make one, and then turn around and strike.
@@ashkes.266 Absolutely. I've been living off of savings and unemployment because my company went under during covid and as they begin to dwindle I feel true fear knowing I have to go back to service work. Fear for my health with covid, and fear that I just can't do that anymore. Ideologically, physically, spiritually. But the only place that leaves me is cold homelessness. This can't be sustainable, it isn't. But they take all choice away. I don't have children, but I desperately hope we can change this for the children of the world. So they don't have to feel this way, at least not forever.
Wow... Just wow.... Why isn't this the first thing that appears when I search for "the lighthouse explained". I hate those people who make "explained" videos where they just recap the movie for you without answering any questions left. You, on the other hand, made a incredibly thorough analysis of the movie. I will definetly watch your other stuff from now on. Hope more people manage to find your work!
I love that this movie uses a near perfect square for its aspect ratio. Square composition has such a strong and balanced look to it. It's why a lot of album cover artwork always looks so well balanced and iconic.
For anyone who doesn't know. This was the aspect ratio of early film, and continued to be used by newsreels and shorts. Wide-screen was a later invention using certain lenses and films. So this aspect ratio is claustrophobic and personal. But it's also meant to evoke a newsreel. Like "The world of tomorrow! This new lighthouse technology will bring our boys home safe! Let's watch!" Except then you actually step into the film with the characters. That's part of the intent.
As someone manipulated, controlled, and gaslit by my mother with ko escape, Howard dreaming up the mermaid and turning his rage on everything in a brutal breakdown is the most accurate thing I've ever seen to a reaction to trauma/abuse.
I remember this kind of torment. Growing up I was working under a strict and condemning narcissistic father who always wanted control, like you said, he always had to “win.” The way you describe the old man wanting to switch between being boss and then friend was my father. He took joy in “blessing” us and doing nice things for us but when we didn’t adore or praise him he would scream and throw a tantrum and accuse us of all being selfish ungrateful spoiled brats… He had 0 tolerance for disobedience of any kind whatsoever; he had to have complete control or he’d lose his sanity. He beat us for disobeying him under the guise of teaching us “respect” and “discipline” while he himself sat and watched tv and bossed us around hiding under how “hard he worked for the family” and again accusing us of being spoiled and ungrateful. So we never were at peace. Mom made us work so we wouldn’t anger him, because she was so scared of his anger. We lived in total fear all the time, and could never let out guard down. One time while on vacation he became irate and screamed at us and accused us all saying we “weren’t grateful” for all he did for us when he offered us McDonald’s and we all said we didn’t want it. He was a fucking monster. He had no concern for our hearts or feelings while simultaneously berating us for not caring about his feelings. He beat us regularly, threw my sister across the room into her bed in rage once, hit holes in the walls, kicked baskets of laundry down the stairs, punched the counter top during dinner and more, all to them turn around and act sorry for himself and expect us to feel sorry for him and how hard his life is. There is no end of the hatred I feel towards him. Daily I wish I would have kicked his ass as a kid or stabbed him so he would stop hurting my mom and sisters and me… maybe if I got his leg he wouldn’t be able to chase us down to hurt us. You’d never expect what many horrors took place behind the white washed walls of upper-middle class “spoiled” kid’s houses like mine. Our house was a mandatorily clean prison of fear, dread and panic. At church and work he was loved by all for his fake facade, but on the car ride home he took out all the anger he really felt about how fake he was on us. And yet, somehow my poor heart feels sorry for the monster he was because I changed when I saw my true self and felt my feelings instead of pushing them down. Somehow I keep going back to feeling guilty and sorry for him and even feeling compassion for him… only for me to wake up in my dreams of what he did to me with pure unbridled and murderous rage.. but I know he’ll never care. I know he’ll never love me. If your own helpless child is so much of a threat to your sense of control and power as a man that you must attack them and ritualistically beat them into total submission how can you ever love them? He’s the lowest form of human life. He deserves to suffer. God have mercy on his soul.
Are you me? I've never read someone else's account of childhood and felt so much kinship in it. I'm sorry. We didn't deserve it. Thank you for allowing me this parity.
Robert Pattinson is frequently playing characters who either identify with dogs, or are constantly compared to dogs. First time I noticed this was in Good Time and then after that The Lighthouse.
@LordMacKarl From the above examples, it would seem, "dog-kin or adjacent." Unless he (or his agent) wants his inbox to be 1/5 stuffed with fur community conspiracy admiration, a role that plays off of, "I'm Seriously not a dog," may have been in order. Seeing as people are drawing that constellation here already, one can bet it ain't the first time.. and more likely, has been ceaseless since having a role aside a werewolf.
In Cosmopolis he plays an asshole who was born into the light and is completely blinded by the lies he tells himself. You're not getting a daily anal examination because you want to catch a cancer early, Rob's Character, you're getting a prostate massage and won't admit it.
I personally think The Lighthouse has many levels of meaning, from the literal (two men going crazy from isolation, bad alcohol, and inner demons) to the spiritual (not literal, but metaphorical) to mythical (Eggers himself has referred to Old and Young as representations as Proteus and Prometheus, respectively). Your video is the first I've seen that interprets the movie as a metaphor for class struggle, so that's something new to think about. But I can't say it's the *only* interpretation - and just for the record, I don't believe you think it is, either. I think we both would agree that you've found a new layer in a movie stacked with as many interpretations as a full plate of pancakes.
Grow a pair. Jeez. It's your choice whether to be poor or rich. Money has literally nothing to do with it. Often the people with the least material items are the richest in their heart. Often people with the toughest upbringing become the most successful. It's really not that hard to understand.
@@CotyDinsen sorry that poor/homeless people dont find their life "enriching" you've obviously never experienced how poverty completely crushes your spirits. no, life isnt all about material goods, but when everyday is spent fighting for food and a roof over your head in the most mundane depressing way possible, it's impossible to feel like your life is """rich""". you're living in a fairytale, stop putting down others
I come from the Midsommar video essay and now I’ll subscribe! Love the fact that your analysis feel fresh in a sens that I don’t hear the same arguments in other video essays! It gives us a new perspective it’s great content (and well edited too!)
The lighthouse is certainly a metaphor for hierarchical thinking. Everyone fights to sit atop the hierarchy, and reproduce the trauma of living at the bottom. And so, they all remain imprisoned to themselves, and their own fear of being seen as “unworthy”.
Probably like most others, I interpreted this movie really literally and attributed myths like Prometheus and Proteus to the power struggle that took place in the movie. Never even considered that it could be a commentary on capitalism, or wage slavery, perhaps. Good job, man, I enjoyed this!
This comment actually made me not to watch this video because the director who wrote it with his brother tells in interviews that they went thru lighthouse keeper logs and stories and what not and wanted the guy to loosely spiral into the madness so there comes the horror elements. Many directors talk about how people overanalyze their work a lot. Like one of the comments want's this channel to do Neon Genesis Evangelion whose maker has said that many things people take as a metafora or overanalyze the work isn't really correct in a sense that he said that he made it pretty straight forward and not anything else. But then again people can take work of art as they want, that's why David Lynch doesn't talk what certain things means or what he was trying to accomplish with a certain scene, what is the underlying message if there even is one. But this video is just one man's perspective, not neccesarily what the maker's were going for. Just saying.
@@hajile404 I just gave room for that in the second paragraph of my comment. It just can get Very pretensious and looking for clues for something that isn't there. Like the Star Wars Finn and Poe are gay stuff, that's a great analysis right there. Look, like I said you can take the movie how ever you want but it doesn't take away the possibility of annoying overanalyzing too with the themes (which are in the video apparently, what I took from the comment) the commentor talked about who I responded in the first place. Especially if the maker of it has pretty much said that it isn't that. So it made me roll my eyes and that's that. I didn't say there isn't ever any good analysis and I didn't say there can't be good over-analysis, but most of the last one just aren't very good in my opinion and are usually reaching really hard. And if the video is over 40min and I read this comment it just put me off from watching.
@@aleksisuuronen5969 it's interesting to conclude that because a movie used lighthouse keeper logs as source material that it can't textually be about capitalism and class. do you imagine that these people's experiences were not inflected by their relationship to labor and exploitation?
@@sh-bp4iw I concluded from the interviews all around. Ofcourse it's about people in the bottom of the barrel of society and that's why they are in the lighthouse. That's it, they are just fucked and the other one goes cracy because he can't take the conditions and the other one is above him in the hierarchy (still in the bottom of the barrel of society tho) and is using that as an entertainment (you can anlyse that as something bigger but it's normal in life that same things happen in mikro and macro level, it isn't neccesarily a metafora just because it can be, I don't see it as such because in the interviews it doesn't sound like their goal at all). All of this and the storm and everything is too much for the new guys psyche. That's the movie. The looking at the logs and shit is basic work to make sure you are getting it historically accurate as possible. He was making a horror movie and that's fact, I just personally doesn't beleave that that metafora was in his mind if that metafora is what we are talking about (like I said I didn't watch the video because of the starter comment and the lenght combined)
I've been watching analysis videos on horror movies for years now and I've never felt satisfied because they're always so emotionally shallow. They're just too structured and logically (in a rhetorical sense) written/presented. Your videos are truly something beautiful, I've never felt so deep in thought and/or being just from an analysis. Your use of pathos is very clever and I felt totally immersed in this universe you've created. So well done, immediately subscribed!
"ill raise my own roof...no one to tell me what for" i felt that. i dont, cant, aspire to the life i desperately dream of. that dream isnt even extravagant but even that is beyond me. now i just want to be left alone.
But if you work hard enough you’ll be able to get whatever you want. George Carlin said. They call it the American dream, Because you gotta be asleep to believe it.
It's telling that at the time he said he chose the job because of how well it pays. "$1000 a year, and the further out you go the more you get". That doesn't sound like a lot of money, but at the time it was. Inflation wasn't as big of a thing back then, nowadays they're just printing money and you can't build or own a home on a salary that most people can afford as a result. He was willing to endure the torture and the isolation for the end result of finally being able to be free.
I feel that too- so many of the things i aspire to i just cant achieve. Things other people take for granted are often unreachable or i have to break my back for
@@Yora21 well i guess you could say the two go hand in hand. Can you ever truly be free if others have power over you? Therefore, i guess to have freedom, youd have to aquire power.
@@nitsuanomrah6997 That's the problem with American society. Everything is treated as a zero sum game. Anything that I gain must be taken away from someone else.
@@Yora21 yup and its only increasing with this virus. All regular people getting to get into small business or become entrepreneurs are being destroyed by large corporations who are only becoming larger and more powerful
When watching this film, I was led to believe that this was a representation of the Greek myth where Prometheus was punished by Zeus as he obtained forbidden knowledge and bestowed it to man, banishing him to have his liver be pecked and eaten by an eagle for all eternity, and it would regrow every night to maximize his pain. I believed the light represented wisdom that only Wake could tolerate and what sent Howard into insanity and be eaten by birds in a similar fashion to Prometheus. But what you made evident is that there is no knowledge in the light, there is no supernatural element that even exists in the movie. It’s just two liars in isolation going insane with hunger, alcohol abuse, isolation, and conflicting superiority complexes that have them desperately struggling to be on top of a nonsensical hierarchy of dominance and view the light as the source of unlimited power. But in the end, it’s just a light. Brilliant review as always, and great work.
In truth, the movie can be interpreted in multiple ways and there is no 1 single true interpretation! If there was, it would quickly be forgotten but the fact that many people are coming up with many theories is what makes this film a masterpiece. Can you recall any film within the past decade that has this much interpretation?
Holy SHIT my guy. This is incredible. What a fantastic, detailed discussion of this film- especially your linking it to classism. What pulled the rug out from under me the most was the fantastic hints of directorial skill here- don't be afraid to commit to more experimental monologues of your own in the future! The second half and the skill of the edit there was excellent. I cannot wait to see what you come up with for Annihilation. Thanks for putting out such polished, considered content!
The rant by Dafoe after he finds out he isn’t “fond of me lobster”is easily one of the best acted scenes in history IMO. The way the shadow captures his face is menacing and yet captivating.
I interpreted it as them being the same person, the young man that he was toiling away his life for the benefit of the old man that he will be, casting their shadows on each other.
This is so striking and reminds me of a Twilight zone episode where a young woman is horse riding and then scared to death and made to flee from another horse rider who's ghastly looking, we come to find out later they're the same person tormenting each self
This movie hit me hard. Mostly because I was in the military and did a lot of guard work (mostly guarding vehicles and artillery weapons). We spent a week at a remote location doing 2 hour shifts every 6 hours never being able to string more that 3 hours of sleep because of other duties (cleaning, chopping wood...). Every time we went on these "missions" we would pray that the leaders of the guard would be sane. If they weren't, it was a week of hell, of constant belittlement.
This is undoubtedly the best, most visually appealing, most detailed, and most undeniably perception-altering video essay I've ever seen. Serious, serious props to you, you broadened my view of the film and of life as a whole in a way no other video has. You've earned a subscriber, my friend!
Decided to give this video a shot even though I ultimately didn't enjoy the end of the film. Really great stuff. I'm going to watch the film again and try to formulate an argument why I had a negative reaction to the ending.
too on the nose with the promethean "symbolism"? That's how it felt to me and maybe why some people didn't bother to dig deeper than that one interpretation
@@patatopie It wasn't just the "on the nose" aspect, to me, it also felt way too abrupt. All this build-up to Winslow/Howard getting to see what that light is hiding, then...he goes boom. Smash cut to grotesque imagery, credits. It just felt like they ran out of filming days and had to throw together the ending with not enough footage.
@@WobblesandBean personally I didn't feel it was abrupt at all. The entire movie is building tension up until that point and although the scene is short it is still very powerful. Also I'd rather see some visually cool and interesting on-the-nose symbolism than some braindead general audience Marvel movie any day.
This is the best, most graphic and artistically pleasing explanation I’ve got of this movie so far. It shows that you’re informed intricately and truly passioned about what you do. This video feels a like docu-film and, aside from being entertained, I’ve learned so much from it. Thank you! Keep up the great work!
I'd seen your Midsommar video floating around my recommendations for months, but hadn't seen the movie yet and didn't want to spoil it. Finally watched it yesterday and immediately looked up your video (which was incredible) and then gasped VERY loudly when I saw you did one on the lighthouse, one of my favorite movies. Idk if you read comments on old videos, but I just wanted to say you're an absolute gem and I'm so happy you're sharing your talent with us all !! If I had money to help support you I would, but for now I'll just like, comment, and share with everyone I know. 🖤
Dude, that was incredible, so impactful. About that last monologue... the lines, the artistic style referenced from the movie, you sharing your job life experiences... holy shit
This movie along with this amazing analysis perfectly describes life in the Army and every damned relationship with anyone of higher rank. The frantic and pedantic shifts from boss to friend and the table setting is a perfect analogy for every time authority felt perfectly entitled to take a big steamy dump on subordinates out of sheer personal convinience and self importance rather than any regard for the mission. Then, without a sliver of shame of hypocrisy, turn around and talk about trust and comraderie. This is so picture perfect I want to yell into nothingness out of being grateful that you put into words a damnable frustration I've observed for the better part of a decade. Even the scene of the gleeful dotting of the "i" in the log is a perfect description of how I've observed some people to ever so arrogantly and proudly damn an individual's time into drudgery under a thinly veiled guise of necessary work. Work so utterly meaningless, worthless, unncessary, that it boggles the mind of anyone that hears of it outside of the context of the need to stay busy by any means since anything short of that would mean you are a piece of shit. Great work!!
dude yes. I've been saying it since I first saw this movie when it came out but this film portrays EXACTLY what it feels like to be in the military in a subordinate position. Some of my NCOs in the marines acted in that same way. switching between friend and foe. Sitting by as we worked hard at a task that basically would never or could never get done
7 years in and I have never seen the army life described so perfectly. I was recently made stay awake for 44 hours for no god damn reason other than to take a big steamy shit on me
I feel this. The fact that I felt too intimidated to object to a superior telling me about their philandering and plan to leave their spouse, or proselytizing their religion, were major factors to my decision to leave the military, despite my good record and prospects of advancement.
Your monologue at the end really resonated with me. I'm a mental health worker. Been working in the field for 8 years. I love the work itself. It's hard work, and does not pay very well, but I'm good at it, and I get to help people. I've recently realized, though, that the field does not reward people who are passionate and work hard. It rewards people who smile and nod, and blow smoke up their manager's ass. I'm very outspoken in advocating for my clients and their needs, and that outspokenness has ultimately hurt my chances of getting promotions and moving up in the field. When I do something that proves management wrong, I'm punished for it. Even when I'm right, I'm wrong. Even when I'm a good worker, I'm a bad employee. I think I need to re-watch The Lighthouse with the perspectives you've laid out in this video. You make a lot of points that I hadn't really considered when I first watched it. Really well done video essay.
Dude, I cleaned houses for years. It’s honest, creates a beautiful clean environment and therefore has meaning, and it can be done with joy. Thanks for doing that hard work, even without getting paid shit or having any sense of job security. ❤️ Vive le working class!
That is the whole theme to Johnny Cash's Get a Rhythm song. "Well I asked him while he shined my shoes, how'd he keep from getting the blues" "He grinned as he raised his little head, he popped his shoeshine rag and then he said: "Get A Rhythm".
Most service jobs can be looked at this way. Its too bad that covid stuck a knife in the service industry in America... coincidently one of the only industries left that average Americans can earn a living in. Manufacturing is gone and the value of tech work is lower than ever due to an overcrowded pool of candidates... what else is there besides government?
Something Ive never seen mentioned but i noticed on my 3rd watch through is how at the scene around 12:13 - Wake goes from discussing his old helper's demise, to immediately warning Winslow about not killing the seagull. Then when Winslow gets slapped and stands up, his shadow at 12:18 almost looks like there is a second shadowy head above his own heads shadow. And right after that Wake looks like he saw a ghost, and stops the conversation.
I have watched this video nearly a hundred times now. My god, this video is so underrated, so enrapturing, it is a work of art in and of itself. I remember watching this video directly after watching the lighthouse for the first time. Tbh, I did not get the lighthouse and thought it was too esoteric for me. This video gave me a true appreciation for the movie, and an appreciation for creators like yourself. I should have posted this comment two years ago when I first saw saw this video, but better late than never I suppose.
Absolute standing ovation. This was cathartic to watch and the kind of sentiment I’m seeing from so many folks on here these days and it’s about dang time. If the Lighthouse has a DVD release I hope this video is a special feature on it because it was the best follow up to a movie I’ve ever watched. You’re brilliant and I hope you continue to do what you love.
why would you spoil the movie by watching this video before the movie? i mean this is not a masterpieces but it`s 100% a movie worth watching and even minor spoilers can ruin it ,for me at least
Your ending segment where you talk to the camera and juxtapose Howard's struggle to the modern struggle of working "lower end" jobs with false hopes of better days kinda hit a little to close to home. This was an incredible video essay and I enjoyed every minute of it!
This is a great analysis! My only knowledge of The Lighthouse is a hilarious tweet saying this and Portrait of a Lady on Fire is both examples of what happens when women are left alone on a deserted island vs. men. I’m glad to get more insight outside of jokes.
I love this analysis! Another Lie we can add is the whole Lie that Howard tells himself about his backstory. By the time we are introduced to him, he has convinced himself that he is a murderer. But we have no evidence of this. The logjam was clearly an accident and the characterization he gives of his former boss is of a person who probably would not have believed him even if he had called out to save him. Or is this also a lie he tells to himself and us? We cant know the truth of it. Clearly Howard actively took the mans identity... but murder? The events of the film repeatedly show him doing everything in his power to AVOID murdering Wake. He vents his frustration into working harder for a time. He murders the gull. He attempts to leave the island on the boat. He stops pummelling him when he has almost killed him. He buries him in a shallow grave to try to let the dirt do what he cant actually commit to. Despite his own internal torment and Wake's accusations, clearly Howard is NOT a callous murderer. This seems to have been an almost Romantic invention of Howards imagination, some way of justifying his desire to live an isolated life away from others, and justification for his self loathing and obsessions. Its a story he tells out of guilt, but also because he hopes to be both pitied and feared. That perhaps if he tells this tale of murder this old man will leave him alone. But it has the opposite effect. Despite taunting him about it, Wake is not at all phased because he doesnt believe for a moment this lie Howards believes about himself. If anything, it shows to Wake that Howard is deeply prone to delusions and self pity, characteristics he chooses to manipulate even more.
How come you don't have millions of subscribers or even a teaching position? This video was spectacular through and through. Not only was this an excellent analysis, the editing was phenomenal too. I honestly wish you get to do more and more of these videos and get to a better position in life where you are being appreciated for your work.
I remember when people were saying minimum wage should be raised to match cost of living and people argued that "you think fast food workers should earn the same as teachers and nurses" as if the only way to measure their own success is by how much others are suffering and how much better off they are than them. Why shouldn't everyone in full time work get paid enough to meet the cost of living. People in "skilled labour" jobs should be campaining for better pay, not blocking people in "unskilled labour" jobs from a pay increase. The only reason you want to block the pay increase in those situations is because you want to feel superior to the people who earn less than you. Anyway this reminds me of that. Fighting with each other instead of with the system we should really be angry at.
Your ending monologue really resonated with me. I work for an insurance company with an office on Lake Minnetonka in MN. Its known as one of the wealthiest areas in the state, if not the midwest. Every day I leave my apartment that I can only afford with the joint income from my husband. Everyday I get in my 9 year old car, and drive to a job that also refuses to pay benefits. An insurance company that can't even give its own employees health insurance. And every day I drive past multistory mansions speckled along the Shoreline of the lake. I pass countless Mercedes and Lexus and tesla vehicles on my commute. I hear customers complain that the insurance on their brand new, 2020 vehicle caused their insurance to go up $15/mo. Its nauseating. If I didn't have a larger purpose that I was working towards- a music career- I would go insane. I would get so bitter. In some ways I still have. They don't even know how few struggles they have. They can't even relate to someone who buys the generic brand at the grocery store to save a few bucks. Only my peers can relate. The poor, the disillusioned, the minorities, the indebted, the artists, the creatives, the hippies, the outsiders. And theres so, so, so many more of us than them.
With more and more people falling into poverty with every year that passes, the middle class all but gone and the few that remain in the middle class only counting the days until they get sucked into the ever growing black hole of poverty because you bet your ass there's no way ANYBODY in middle class America is going to be upwardly mobile.
This video was so brilliant and important - particularly the metaphorical fight of poor against poor, grasping at stupid ideas like ‘seniority’ and ‘merit’ to differentiate the one from the next, all while the Big Guys know this is nothing but a terrible, awful game of Monopoly they have already won. Working for apps, dreaming of owning things, buying things and finding they don’t elevate your being, maybe just your status. How thin that illusion is, anyway. How well we’ve done, working and working and working to achieve the superficial, to achieve what we could have without working and working and working - that is, a walk in the woods, a moment of silence, a hug, a laugh, making something with our own hands, making art. We can do all of that without Jeff Bezos and Co. Right? Thank you so much - you’ve got a subscriber! :)
I really appreciate this analysis, I never thought about it this way. I watched it in a small theatre, alone with only two other people in the cinema and I was enchanted by the atmosphere and the feel of it. I've read many "takes" on it and many of them have given me insight into it but none as complete as this. To me the movie was, and still is, a loveletter to movie making as an artform but your take on it certainly vibes best with me. So far, this is the movie I've liked the best out of any I see. Considering what it is it may be odd but to me it is actually kind of a comfort watch because it is so immersive and beautiful.
Man the actors really both deliver the performance of a lifetime in this film. They're so, so good. And the anamorphic aspect ratio with the black and white color palette is so claustrophobic. This movie oozes texture and tonal consistency
Three videos beforehand, when I just came across your Midsommar review essay, I didn't expect how deeply you'd analyze these films, it gives me a deeper understanding and appreciation for the work, stories and messages the writers directors, and actors were trying to communicate. In fact I'd say you're the translator for those of us who are left questioning these films without thinking of why these questions are being asked. Honestly, you have an amazing talent and these videos are so well edited, and written, plus the copycat scenes you set up at the end, I really hope you're able to at least earn some money from RUclips for them. I was so disappointed when you opened up about your job, I used to work for DoorDash, and completely understand the "well, who's my boss? What happens when a customer treats /me/ unfairly? Am I really earning enough for what I do?" I'm happy to see that at least now your talent and intelligence can be appreciated through this medium, keep up the amazing work.
video so good i gotta comment twice lmao... i've seen so many deep dives into the lighthouse on youtube but you bring up so many unique points i've never heard or noticed before... brilliant job!
I’m glad that line got cut from the final. It’s interesting to hear, but it’s too literal and doesn’t really suit the tone... too confrontational in context of their games.
I feel kind of hollowed out and fried like I just sat through a horror movie that really, really worked for me, only I just watched a YT video about the movie and can’t even watch the movie itself because the seagull scene would elicit the kind of horror I -don’t-want more of. I don’t feel so much like I’m missing out on the film after watching this. I know it’s no replacement, but I straight up can’t handle the intense feelings from movies like this these days. Mind and body are too fried for the adrenaline. So it’s not “I watched a YT vid on it so now I don’t need to see the thing itself”, it’s “I was never going to be able to see the thing itself but was still able to engage with the parts of it that are the most harrowing to me because someone took the time to lay it out” So like. Thank you for making this, and damn, I’m gonna stay up a little later than planned and digest this lmao
I quit my job as a teacher just a few short months before COVID hit. I found myself working 20-hour days for my company, constantly having to take on new responsibilities not in my job description, and bringing my work home with me in a way that took over my life. For the year that I worked like this, I failed every single college course I was in. I was able to coast off of my savings for a bit, and eventually got my GPA on track to being repaired, but now I'm entirely financially dependant on my parents again and it sucks. Watching this analysis has made me realize why I'm so dissatisfied living with my parents, since they fulfill the same "boss but friend" role Old wants to. Funny how that sort of capitalist way of thinking has worked its way into even our family dynamic. Thank you for helping me recognize this through your analysis. Good luck on your future videos! I look forward to seeing more of your work :^)
Wow so I didn't really "get" a lot of a message from the Lighthouse but I certainly have a new appreciation for the subtleties and micro-aggressions and what they could be attributed to between the characters. Chills! I enjoyed the movie a lot just for its weird surreal nostalgic feel and overall ambiance, but it's all so much more interesting having watched your deconstruction here. I'm looking forward to seeing what your future uploads will be, since your Midsommar video was also very good. I feel like the VVitch or the Ritual is very much in your style, but I'll be excited to see whatever you have coming up!
As a former military member I can completely empathize with that feeling of "Why am I toiling so hard for seemingly no reward?" It's finding solace in the small things that break up the monotony that helps you stay sane. That's why I'm of the opinion that a cigarette break should be treated like a holy ritual, for its one of the only things to give you a brief reprieve from the crushing grind of the day.
That moment where you talk about your job... Really hit in a way I wasn't expecting. Also, great analysis. It's been a while since I've watched the movie, but it's did make me feel crazy by the end. Just the endless lying and lack of a known reality, which is probably why I loved it.
Holy hell... I’m legitimately feel the dread I expect from Lovecraftian eldritch horrors. Glad the eyeballs directed me here, even if I feel like I’m staring into the endless and empty void.
I completely agree with this. I just did not understand how people were like light=power and Winslow is Prometheus. I was thinking that it was just so much deeper because that theory is just so surface level. I’m so hype for the annihilation video though! Stick with it man your content is extremely underrated and of the highest quality!
_ light=power and Winslow is Prometheus_ -- The reference painting scheme is inverted (Dafoe should be clothed, and Winslow nude) in the glowing eyes/hand on shoulder still shot.
Well from my watches with the film ive definitely found that the light attributes towards heaven, the script says so and theres lots of hints towards it. Pretty cool concept if you ask me
To add to this Robert Eggers says: "When you're looking at that light, you're communing with something that's not human, that's beyond human, thats eternal".
I'll be honest when I saw this movie a few years back i was so lost but still enjoyed it a lot. Coming by this video years later i just need to see it again. This essay is immensely well written and the passion behind it make me really get into it
The whole premise of Lighthouse is basically a live-action adaptation of _The Misadventures of Flapjack_ where Flapjack and Knuckles stuck in an island with a lighthouse, and went insane. At the end, Flapjack murdered Knuckles, and he finally found the Candy Island for the last time before he died.
I'm so glad I found this channel by "accident" (algorythms...). I watched the three essays, about Midsommar, Anihilation and now this, and they just kept getting better. The Anihilation one has put me in this silent medidative place, not necessarily agreeing to it, but it made me relive all that I had already felt watching the film last time maybe even more lively than I had at first. I even watched the movie again, and it was a different experience this time. Now, with The Lighthouse, I once again feel glad those movies were made and that I watched them so that this essay could have such an impact on me. We probably have more or less the same age, and I'm just recently coming to accept my toll in life - not finding a job I love, but one where I can be mostly left alone. I don't know if I can express how much I empathize with the ideas and feelings here, but mostly, how it made a film I already loved for being quirky and horror-like into something about our own horror of enduring the absurdity of what was done with life. Got me wondering if I would be this bored, if I was going to need to much guts and bravery to not feel sad, if we had just nature, food and tropical diseases to care about, or if we were destined regardless to this lack of sense. I once again leave this video quite inspired to think and create. Take good care, keep the amazing job going.
@@RabidlyTaboo The Lighthouse wasn't a commercial hit. It's worldwide box office was a meager $18M, which is an extremely partly number in pre-pandemic times. The film didn't win any major awards (nominated for Best Cinematography by the Academy, and that was it). The buzz was mixed, and minimal (many viewers finding it too confusing, and too weird). I'm glad you liked it, and found circles where it was talked about upon release. But generally, it was a criminally underrated movie.
I just found your videos today and watched this and Midsommar in a row. I love how your doing these videos. I haven't seen much on The Lighthouse but I've watched basically every Midsommar video and yours is such a unique take when I thought there ere none left. Great work!!!!!
My jaw dropped at 33:19 and I feel like I didn't breathe until the credits rolled, which is the same way I felt when I saw the Lighthouse for the first time. Staggeringly great work.
It was bs from the start. Its only a board game and any sense of dominance you get from the winning player boils down to individual personalities. A shy person wouldnt lose their shyness because they had a wad of monopoly money. So it'd be the same in every country.
@@StainsStainsStains This sounds like conjecture and I'd posit that a shy person might use a sanctioned activity like a game as a crutch to exhibit certain dominating behaviors. It's what you're supposed to do when winning. One might even go further into that behavior without any previous experience with that power or the behavior that come with it. And yes a shy person might not be as expressive but could still be quite excited compared to their usual behaviors. Regardless I don't know the details either so just pontificating on behavioral science data without data is moot for persuasion in any direction.
i never even thought of this interpretation. my takeaway was that it was an examination of male ego told with spooky birds and tentacles, but i like yours better. i'm going to steal it in casual conversation
It's that, too. The beauty of films like this is how subjective they are. There's a hundred different interpretations you could take away from it, and none are any less valid than the other. I saw a very strong "anti toxic masculinity" vibe within it, too.
This movie feels depressing yet freeing at the same time, just like Waiting for Godot, just like Kafka's works. I enjoy household chores and other mechanical physical activity because it gives me consolation from all the thinking I am required to do for job and school. However, should I continue such work for long periods of time, it would become frustrating. Should it become my job, maybe I would convince myself to see something as a 'light' - something without an inherent meaning, but which makes sense of my life and struggles. Also I get bored of Monopoly within the first half an hour or so, regardless of how well I am doing. Truly, it might motivate me if I'm rich af, but in the end you just have to rely on external circumstances (dice rolls, rent, debt, etc). Great work, you deserve more recognition!
Sorry about all the fog and slo mo. Had to upload this 6 times before the copyright demons would let it through.
EDIT: I refer to the way Wake switches from "Friend" to "Boss" on a whim as "Schizophrenic" at one point. This isn't an accurate description of how schizophrenia works, it's just a stupid stereotype that I rather recklessly wrote in without thinking. Sorry to anybody bothered by that.
maybe try mirroring the footage? i've noticed other channels will do that. sucks that it's such a headache tho, keep up the good work.
This was so smart and so dope.
Acolytes of Horror: * tries to upload a video of The Lighthouse *
Copyright: THE LIGHT BELONGS TO ME
No, don't apologize; 'tis a vast improvement.
You can also try mirroring the footage and zooming it in a bit.
"It's almost as if the island itself is farting in Howard's face." There's the professional analysis I came to see.
Lmaoo
Sounds about right lol.
Its profound. Like the writings of a modern day Shakespeare 🧐
Phahahaha!! Well said! As professional as the... well, professional... Phe, sometimes there are pearls in the comment section. :)
A professional ANALysis
After watching this movie I decided the next level up from "gaslighting" is called "lighthousing."
i think it’d be a good term for what he’s describing between flip flopping between boss and friend
I recently learned that the term gaslighting actually originated from a film as well, so I'm all for it
@@michaeledwards6683 Absolutely!
followed by Midsommaring?
"Lighthousing" needs to become a thing. I'm gonna try to make this a thing.
I know this vid is two years old but an interesting thing I wanted to add; when you’re a ship at sea, a lighthouse is not something you go towards, it’s something you avoid. They mark hazardous waters, full of rocks and shallows. Howard and wake both battle over it and you’re never meant to be near it in the first place.
Sounds like half the chicks I've dated
@@squanchy666 It's not nice to say that about your cousins.
@@anhelaanhela4996 I'm adopted, who knows, they might be. Hell, you might be.
@@squanchy666 squanch ‘em squanchy
@@anhelaanhela4996
Bit weird that you equate dating with incest. Is that a normal thing to you?
I've always felt that DeFoe was a superb actor, but his portrayal of Thomas Wake made all of his other roles look like freshman attempts. The accent, alone, was a magnificent achievement, but he really lost himself in this character. Anyone who watches this film, whether they realize it or not, is witnessing an historic level of acting...and I doubt that I'll see its equal before I die.
Fully agree. I just can't see Wake as DeFoe. Wake is Wake, as if though he were a real person. Incredible work.
Also, Robert Pattinson too. I was honestly blown away by his performance as Young. Like...holy shit.
Yes! Dafoe was absolutely amazing. But I was really surprised how good Pattinson is.
Jake Gyllenhaal as "Lou Bloom" in "The Nightcrawler" was also superb.
The fact that neither of the two were even nominated at the oscars still irritates me
This movie hits me hard now. I watched it first when it came out, I had caught it in theaters. I liked it but didn’t consider it much.
But then not long after, I was an assistant living in an unfamiliar place, living with my crazy, old, emotionally unstable boss, when quarantine hit, and we basically had no company but each other for months.
This movie was on my mind a lot during those months.
This movie is the energy I get from a lot of entry level corporate jobs.
Just once I'd like to see a film review on RUclips that doesn't devolve into a rant against capitalism.
kgpspyguy well personally while I find this video’s analysis very interesting, it’s not how I initially read the film. Seeing as the two characters have the same name, and are referred to as “young” and “old”, and we’re seeing Young just beginning his career as a lighthouse keeper as Old is clearly nearing the end, I read it as they’re basically the same person, just at different points of their lives. And with that context, I saw this film as a reflection on isolation - on the torment of having to be alone with yourself.
kgpspyguy i mean a lot of movies have themes are related to capitalism so it makes sense.
This is literally my nightmare I'm so sorry you went through that, hope you are doing okay home-wise mentally wise and financially wise
5:35 IMO people have been getting the seagull’s symbolism backwards.
Perhaps that _was_ Wake’s former dead partner’s head in the lobster trap. But the _seagull_ is a representation of the former partner. In that when Howard kills the seagull, he is re-enacting Wake’s brutal murder of his former partner. Howard sees the seagull as Wake saw his former partner, always pecking at him, trying to get a piece of what Wake had.
This would align with one of the central themes of the movie, and possibly its central horror, which is that Howard IS Wake. They are the same person, at different points in time, and with different relationships to power and property. By killing the seagull, Howard is proving that if he were in Wake’s position he would do the same.
This is what is meant by “seagulls carrying the souls of dead sailors” as well as bad luck. By killing the seagull, Howard sets the cycle of killing into motion once again.
There is no truth in this movie, because it is each character’s motivation which distorts their perception of events. Each sees themselves as the hero for trying to fulfill their own desires. But neither perspective is reality.
I think ur on to something here, I agree, this theory makes more sense,Please tell me ur thoughts on Anton Shekur
BROOO I legit thought "what if they're the same person" in that dinner scene ALSO SINCE THE SCRIPT REFERS TO THEM AS YOUNG AND OLD it's old Thomas and young Thomas they're the same perrroosnnn holy shit
awesome take
Of course both men are the same person, one just needs to remember the very beginning o the film, how they move on board as the ship is getting closer to the isle. This is a psychoanalytical movie.
No way. You’re definitely onto something. And logically it makes sense, because eventually both of them go insane.
Your monologue at the end really resonated with me. I'm a mental health worker. Been working in the field for 8 years. I love the work itself. It's hard work, and does not pay very well, but I'm good at it, and I get to help people. I've recently realized, though, that the field does not reward people who are passionate and work hard. It rewards people who smile and nod, and blow smoke up their manager's ass. I'm very outspoken in advocating for my clients and their needs, and that outspokenness has ultimately hurt my chances of getting promotions and moving up in the field. When I do something that proves management wrong, I'm punished for it. Even when I'm right, I'm wrong. Even when I'm a good worker, I'm a bad employee. I think I need to re-watch The Lighthouse with the perspectives you've laid out in this video. You make a lot of points that I hadn't really considered when I first watched it. Really well done video essay.
Thank you for all the hard work and time you’ve given to help others. I’m sorry that your managers don’t appreciate your concerns. I wish all workers could watch this video. Maybe it could help people treat others like actual human beings.
Thats every job ive ever had. Hard work doesn't get rewarded, asskissing does. Thats why its better to work for yourself and not somebody else. If you aren't prone to kissing ass that is.. Some people do it well, and move up the ranks and are very successful. If you fancy yourself more an individual rather than a cog in the wheel then you'd be better suited to self employment.
I had to leave being a CNA after 2 years from burn out. The higher ups really don't care they just want to cut costs more and more at the cost of the residents/patients well being and quality of care, and then the mental and physical health of their employees. Its hard and thankless and makes me sad. Everyone i know who stays in and stays kind is a saint. Good for you. I wish you all the luck man
I work in a group home for disabled people. Everything you said is completely true
Imagine a work that focuses on helping people... making the helping part as the motivation to 'grow' and move up the hierarchy to stop helping people and start managing people as soon as possible. Oh wait, that's pretty much all health and care jobs. Capitalism makes us, conditions us, to be ashamed of helping our brothers and sisters.
My god this is such an interesting sober and insightful video about-
*Power Fart appears in big flowery letters on screen*
That’s the best of both worlds, right there
LOL!!! I laughed out loud, heartily, the only one in the room....Uh Oh.....
That scene made me Lol! Hilarious!
can we just talk about how amazing the acting by both men is?
Oscar worthy...both of them...especially Dafoe..at least he got a Spirit award...this movie needed at least one oscar but the Academy is a bit soft on these films if you dont bribe them ig.
This movie single handedly made me a fan of Robert Pattinson lol
Pattinson's accent does slip a lot in intense scenes. However, the script has Pattinson revealing he isn't who he claims to be. So that could be the character. Smart writing meeting great acting. A good writer/director does this. Use what you're given. So Pattinson did a commendable job. Held his own as Willem ate the scenery. But if you squint you'll notice he's only just keeping up. (And that's okay. I didn't think he had this in him either way. Still impressive. Just not Dafoe level.)
I love Willem Dafoe
it's not at all
As an underpaid worker living in a shitty one bedroom apartment, constantly saying "someday" this hit like a fucking freight train. That ending had my jaw on the floor, my hands white knuckle gripping my phone like it'd fly away if I gave it the opportunity to.
You've made a masterpiece of a film analysis with this. I've never had a long form video essay hit me like this before
My dude, this. I've been down my entire life, adrift with barely a support system and the jobs I've lamded are things lile dishwashing and other cleaning jobs. It's always someday. The part about the houses. The guilt for spending 5 and not 3 at Taco Bell. Just wow dude, subbed, liked, "someday" I'll have a donation to spare to you.
Wish you the best.
Dude probably makes over 15 an hour and still bitches
@@guisseppistrombopolis9082 stfu
@@nm9688 getting offended doesn't make u a good person I do agree ,but why the stereotypical stfu.?
@@guisseppistrombopolis9082 I find your attempt to dismiss his frustration disappointing. Anyone who makes 15 an hour, or anywhere around that, is more than entitled to express their discontent towards the horrible capitalist system we live under. Do you honestly believe that someone who makes 15$ an hour is in a comfortable position? We're all fighting the same battle dude open your eyes.
Dude, this was a spectacular watch!
I agree! Btw love your videos...and I think I'm gonna love this guys videos too if he keeps making these.
will you do a video on the lighthouse
Ryan. WTF are you doing here
yeah when dead meat covered it i saw some good stuff about it before the dead meat vid but still watched it and it was amazing
Hey Ryan, I don't remember you making a video on the movie, are you planning to?
That part where you talked about your work experience and driving home past normal, mid to low level houses and knowing you could never afford them. It made me cry, covered me in goosebumps. I used to be an independent contractor that walked incredibly rich people's dogs in lower Manhattan. One time a rich dog owner complained to my not boss that I smelled too bad and I was reminded of Parasite. We weren't allowed to pee in their bathrooms. I'd go into their apartments and it felt like going to another planet. I've never known that comfort and never will. The shame was so deep, so absurd and unknowable and to hear someone with near the exact experience, it made me feel good to know a lot of us are here together, we're there together.
lol poors mad
I'm similarly floored after seeing this video essay right now. I never knew what that intense uncomfortable feeling was, and I recognise it now. You're right, the shame is so indescribably deep and yes, absurd, because we can all intellectually reject it, but it's still everlasting in its hold. The existential terror of the fragility of your literal survival and even in the best case scenario the question - how will i endure this? How long can I? What will happen when I no longer can? What if that's right now? Yeah, poors real mad.
Well said. Unfortunately wasted on some in this world who will never have such an intelligent, succinct thought or contribution, just regurgitate their edgy bile until they're repeating it to themselves in their old age for a second of something resembling happiness.
We should do something about it while we're here together. The rich are always going to prey on the poor. How do you think they got rich? Honesty, hardwork, fairness? And I'm sure they treat their employees so generously ever since their employees allowed them to achieve a level of financial success they'd never have been able to on their own if they weren't capitalizing on the poverty of others. They'd LOVE for you to believe that. They've done so since the beginning of time and will continue to do so into the distant future. I suggest a union. If there isn't one already, make one, and then turn around and strike.
@@ashkes.266 Absolutely. I've been living off of savings and unemployment because my company went under during covid and as they begin to dwindle I feel true fear knowing I have to go back to service work. Fear for my health with covid, and fear that I just can't do that anymore. Ideologically, physically, spiritually. But the only place that leaves me is cold homelessness. This can't be sustainable, it isn't. But they take all choice away. I don't have children, but I desperately hope we can change this for the children of the world. So they don't have to feel this way, at least not forever.
This movie makes me feel like absolute garbage. And you've outlined perfectly why.
Love your editing, glad to see you in the wild
Ben in the wild!
Good stuff man.
Wow... Just wow.... Why isn't this the first thing that appears when I search for "the lighthouse explained". I hate those people who make "explained" videos where they just recap the movie for you without answering any questions left. You, on the other hand, made a incredibly thorough analysis of the movie. I will definetly watch your other stuff from now on. Hope more people manage to find your work!
I love that this movie uses a near perfect square for its aspect ratio. Square composition has such a strong and balanced look to it. It's why a lot of album cover artwork always looks so well balanced and iconic.
I also love how claustrophobic it makes the movie overall
For anyone who doesn't know. This was the aspect ratio of early film, and continued to be used by newsreels and shorts. Wide-screen was a later invention using certain lenses and films. So this aspect ratio is claustrophobic and personal. But it's also meant to evoke a newsreel. Like "The world of tomorrow! This new lighthouse technology will bring our boys home safe! Let's watch!" Except then you actually step into the film with the characters. That's part of the intent.
Speaking of album art, your profile picture is probably my favorite metal album cover
As someone manipulated, controlled, and gaslit by my mother with ko escape, Howard dreaming up the mermaid and turning his rage on everything in a brutal breakdown is the most accurate thing I've ever seen to a reaction to trauma/abuse.
ko???
@@jonhohensee3258 No
@@argentumsound - Elias?
@@jonhohensee3258 No, Elias' translator
@@argentumsound Give me Elias.
my favorite part about this is the subtle implication that if old and young just kissed all of their problems would be solved
i thought the same thing
dam youre right
How improper!
@@AlexCMoro81 girl what
@@AlexCMoro81 are you speaking from experience????? also cant people just be in love without s3x being involved
I remember this kind of torment. Growing up I was working under a strict and condemning narcissistic father who always wanted control, like you said, he always had to “win.” The way you describe the old man wanting to switch between being boss and then friend was my father. He took joy in “blessing” us and doing nice things for us but when we didn’t adore or praise him he would scream and throw a tantrum and accuse us of all being selfish ungrateful spoiled brats…
He had 0 tolerance for disobedience of any kind whatsoever; he had to have complete control or he’d lose his sanity. He beat us for disobeying him under the guise of teaching us “respect” and “discipline” while he himself sat and watched tv and bossed us around hiding under how “hard he worked for the family” and again accusing us of being spoiled and ungrateful. So we never were at peace. Mom made us work so we wouldn’t anger him, because she was so scared of his anger. We lived in total fear all the time, and could never let out guard down. One time while on vacation he became irate and screamed at us and accused us all saying we “weren’t grateful” for all he did for us when he offered us McDonald’s and we all said we didn’t want it.
He was a fucking monster. He had no concern for our hearts or feelings while simultaneously berating us for not caring about his feelings. He beat us regularly, threw my sister across the room into her bed in rage once, hit holes in the walls, kicked baskets of laundry down the stairs, punched the counter top during dinner and more, all to them turn around and act sorry for himself and expect us to feel sorry for him and how hard his life is.
There is no end of the hatred I feel towards him. Daily I wish I would have kicked his ass as a kid or stabbed him so he would stop hurting my mom and sisters and me… maybe if I got his leg he wouldn’t be able to chase us down to hurt us.
You’d never expect what many horrors took place behind the white washed walls of upper-middle class “spoiled” kid’s houses like mine. Our house was a mandatorily clean prison of fear, dread and panic. At church and work he was loved by all for his fake facade, but on the car ride home he took out all the anger he really felt about how fake he was on us.
And yet, somehow my poor heart feels sorry for the monster he was because I changed when I saw my true self and felt my feelings instead of pushing them down. Somehow I keep going back to feeling guilty and sorry for him and even feeling compassion for him… only for me to wake up in my dreams of what he did to me with pure unbridled and murderous rage.. but I know he’ll never care. I know he’ll never love me. If your own helpless child is so much of a threat to your sense of control and power as a man that you must attack them and ritualistically beat them into total submission how can you ever love them?
He’s the lowest form of human life. He deserves to suffer. God have mercy on his soul.
Are you me? I've never read someone else's account of childhood and felt so much kinship in it. I'm sorry. We didn't deserve it. Thank you for allowing me this parity.
Skill issue
@@TheBassicBassist thank you. I’m sorry your experience was as bad too ):
@@yipperskipper If you're going to regurgitate memes at bad times find something that makes sense.
I hope you are in a better place now. I am so sorry that happened to you.
Robert Pattinson is frequently playing characters who either identify with dogs, or are constantly compared to dogs. First time I noticed this was in Good Time and then after that The Lighthouse.
Robert Pattinson is furry confirmed. Heard his next role is even a bat cosplay enthusiast.
This role might have been in part to help break typecast from the former.
@LordMacKarl From the above examples, it would seem, "dog-kin or adjacent." Unless he (or his agent) wants his inbox to be 1/5 stuffed with fur community conspiracy admiration, a role that plays off of, "I'm Seriously not a dog," may have been in order. Seeing as people are drawing that constellation here already, one can bet it ain't the first time.. and more likely, has been ceaseless since having a role aside a werewolf.
In Cosmopolis he plays an asshole who was born into the light and is completely blinded by the lies he tells himself. You're not getting a daily anal examination because you want to catch a cancer early, Rob's Character, you're getting a prostate massage and won't admit it.
@@ahmedamine24 "Daily anal examination..." is that a non-sequitur, metaphor, or hyperbole of some kind? I don't follow.
I personally think The Lighthouse has many levels of meaning, from the literal (two men going crazy from isolation, bad alcohol, and inner demons) to the spiritual (not literal, but metaphorical) to mythical (Eggers himself has referred to Old and Young as representations as Proteus and Prometheus, respectively). Your video is the first I've seen that interprets the movie as a metaphor for class struggle, so that's something new to think about. But I can't say it's the *only* interpretation - and just for the record, I don't believe you think it is, either. I think we both would agree that you've found a new layer in a movie stacked with as many interpretations as a full plate of pancakes.
I really like that you also can ignore any interpretation and it's still a very good movie ;)
@@hoxton_hummingbird I believe this is a KnowledgeHub reference.
I cried when you said: "I'm so tired of being poor". I resonate with you. Amazing and well done video. just subscribed. keep going. 🤗
Grow a pair. Jeez. It's your choice whether to be poor or rich. Money has literally nothing to do with it. Often the people with the least material items are the richest in their heart. Often people with the toughest upbringing become the most successful. It's really not that hard to understand.
@@CotyDinsen sorry that poor/homeless people dont find their life "enriching"
you've obviously never experienced how poverty completely crushes your spirits. no, life isnt all about material goods, but when everyday is spent fighting for food and a roof over your head in the most mundane depressing way possible, it's impossible to feel like your life is """rich""". you're living in a fairytale, stop putting down others
@@CotyDinsennot really, people with the toughest upbringing die of starvation
"A [work]place that worships competition, will always become a war."
life is competition and ill stop when i die
@@RabidlyTaboo Also ensures you die a loser, but you do you.
@@jessh4016 the universe is indifferent to your optimism and negativity
@@RabidlyTaboo Good, hurry up then. I don't want to live in your idiot's world.
I come from the Midsommar video essay and now I’ll subscribe! Love the fact that your analysis feel fresh in a sens that I don’t hear the same arguments in other video essays! It gives us a new perspective it’s great content (and well edited too!)
Same 💗
I was thinking exactly this
Same, came from MidSommer, subbed!
The lighthouse is certainly a metaphor for hierarchical thinking. Everyone fights to sit atop the hierarchy, and reproduce the trauma of living at the bottom. And so, they all remain imprisoned to themselves, and their own fear of being seen as “unworthy”.
Probably like most others, I interpreted this movie really literally and attributed myths like Prometheus and Proteus to the power struggle that took place in the movie. Never even considered that it could be a commentary on capitalism, or wage slavery, perhaps. Good job, man, I enjoyed this!
This comment actually made me not to watch this video because the director who wrote it with his brother tells in interviews that they went thru lighthouse keeper logs and stories and what not and wanted the guy to loosely spiral into the madness so there comes the horror elements. Many directors talk about how people overanalyze their work a lot. Like one of the comments want's this channel to do Neon Genesis Evangelion whose maker has said that many things people take as a metafora or overanalyze the work isn't really correct in a sense that he said that he made it pretty straight forward and not anything else.
But then again people can take work of art as they want, that's why David Lynch doesn't talk what certain things means or what he was trying to accomplish with a certain scene, what is the underlying message if there even is one. But this video is just one man's perspective, not neccesarily what the maker's were going for. Just saying.
@@hajile404 I just gave room for that in the second paragraph of my comment. It just can get Very pretensious and looking for clues for something that isn't there. Like the Star Wars Finn and Poe are gay stuff, that's a great analysis right there. Look, like I said you can take the movie how ever you want but it doesn't take away the possibility of annoying overanalyzing too with the themes (which are in the video apparently, what I took from the comment) the commentor talked about who I responded in the first place. Especially if the maker of it has pretty much said that it isn't that. So it made me roll my eyes and that's that. I didn't say there isn't ever any good analysis and I didn't say there can't be good over-analysis, but most of the last one just aren't very good in my opinion and are usually reaching really hard. And if the video is over 40min and I read this comment it just put me off from watching.
@@aleksisuuronen5969 it's interesting to conclude that because a movie used lighthouse keeper logs as source material that it can't textually be about capitalism and class. do you imagine that these people's experiences were not inflected by their relationship to labor and exploitation?
@@sh-bp4iw I concluded from the interviews all around. Ofcourse it's about people in the bottom of the barrel of society and that's why they are in the lighthouse. That's it, they are just fucked and the other one goes cracy because he can't take the conditions and the other one is above him in the hierarchy (still in the bottom of the barrel of society tho) and is using that as an entertainment (you can anlyse that as something bigger but it's normal in life that same things happen in mikro and macro level, it isn't neccesarily a metafora just because it can be, I don't see it as such because in the interviews it doesn't sound like their goal at all). All of this and the storm and everything is too much for the new guys psyche. That's the movie. The looking at the logs and shit is basic work to make sure you are getting it historically accurate as possible. He was making a horror movie and that's fact, I just personally doesn't beleave that that metafora was in his mind if that metafora is what we are talking about (like I said I didn't watch the video because of the starter comment and the lenght combined)
But that prometheus interpretation is still about who's got power
I've been watching analysis videos on horror movies for years now and I've never felt satisfied because they're always so emotionally shallow. They're just too structured and logically (in a rhetorical sense) written/presented. Your videos are truly something beautiful, I've never felt so deep in thought and/or being just from an analysis. Your use of pathos is very clever and I felt totally immersed in this universe you've created. So well done, immediately subscribed!
"ill raise my own roof...no one to tell me what for"
i felt that. i dont, cant, aspire to the life i desperately dream of. that dream isnt even extravagant but even that is beyond me. now i just want to be left alone.
But if you work hard enough you’ll be able to get whatever you want. George Carlin said. They call it the American dream, Because you gotta be asleep to believe it.
It's telling that at the time he said he chose the job because of how well it pays. "$1000 a year, and the further out you go the more you get". That doesn't sound like a lot of money, but at the time it was. Inflation wasn't as big of a thing back then, nowadays they're just printing money and you can't build or own a home on a salary that most people can afford as a result. He was willing to endure the torture and the isolation for the end result of finally being able to be free.
I feel that too- so many of the things i aspire to i just cant achieve. Things other people take for granted are often unreachable or i have to break my back for
It gets better everyone. I promise. Just keep on livin. Easier said than done sometimes- but hang in there, it really does get better.
@@dianesanford581 lies
This video is just as horrifyingly existential as the movie. I'm blown away, subbed a million times over. This is a work of art
"Being eaten alive by the American dream..."
.... Jesus, why is this review more scary and thought provoking than the movie itself
The America dream has never been about being free, but about having power.
@@Yora21 well i guess you could say the two go hand in hand. Can you ever truly be free if others have power over you? Therefore, i guess to have freedom, youd have to aquire power.
@@nitsuanomrah6997 That's the problem with American society. Everything is treated as a zero sum game.
Anything that I gain must be taken away from someone else.
@@Yora21 yup and its only increasing with this virus. All regular people getting to get into small business or become entrepreneurs are being destroyed by large corporations who are only becoming larger and more powerful
@@nitsuanomrah6997 And getting that power leaves you less free than before. Now you are tied to maintaining and increasing that power.
When watching this film, I was led to believe that this was a representation of the Greek myth where Prometheus was punished by Zeus as he obtained forbidden knowledge and bestowed it to man, banishing him to have his liver be pecked and eaten by an eagle for all eternity, and it would regrow every night to maximize his pain. I believed the light represented wisdom that only Wake could tolerate and what sent Howard into insanity and be eaten by birds in a similar fashion to Prometheus. But what you made evident is that there is no knowledge in the light, there is no supernatural element that even exists in the movie. It’s just two liars in isolation going insane with hunger, alcohol abuse, isolation, and conflicting superiority complexes that have them desperately struggling to be on top of a nonsensical hierarchy of dominance and view the light as the source of unlimited power. But in the end, it’s just a light. Brilliant review as always, and great work.
It can be both. This movie is constructed as all the masterpieces of the past. There is not a one clear interpretation. It what it is to you.
I had a really similar interpretation of it. Definitely think it’s one of those movies meant to be interpreted differently by each viewer.
In truth, the movie can be interpreted in multiple ways and there is no 1 single true interpretation! If there was, it would quickly be forgotten but the fact that many people are coming up with many theories is what makes this film a masterpiece. Can you recall any film within the past decade that has this much interpretation?
@@ulfberht4431 Take Shelter
@@ulfberht4431 the witch lol
Holy SHIT my guy. This is incredible. What a fantastic, detailed discussion of this film- especially your linking it to classism. What pulled the rug out from under me the most was the fantastic hints of directorial skill here- don't be afraid to commit to more experimental monologues of your own in the future! The second half and the skill of the edit there was excellent. I cannot wait to see what you come up with for Annihilation. Thanks for putting out such polished, considered content!
Ooooooh, Annihilation is a shout.
@@taliesinmemmott9158 speaking of lighthouses...
_Winslow insults Wake's cooking_
"Let Neptune strike ye dead, Winslow!" _goes Super Saiyan_
“Neptune”, not “the tomb”.
@@LoganardoDVinci fucc. What's sad is I heard it right when I saw the movie, but blew it this time
Dammit, now I want to see that edited in now
The rant by Dafoe after he finds out he isn’t “fond of me lobster”is easily one of the best acted scenes in history IMO. The way the shadow captures his face is menacing and yet captivating.
I interpreted it as them being the same person, the young man that he was toiling away his life for the benefit of the old man that he will be, casting their shadows on each other.
Ooooooo. That's a very interesting interpretation. I like it 💜
This is so striking and reminds me of a Twilight zone episode where a young woman is horse riding and then scared to death and made to flee from another horse rider who's ghastly looking, we come to find out later they're the same person tormenting each self
@@percyperanamus7432 Spur of the Moment. Love that episode. So good.
@@Minbits thank you for that! now ill know what to look up so i can rewatch it xo
@@percyperanamus7432 I had no idea I was helping! lol! You're most welcome! :)
This movie hit me hard. Mostly because I was in the military and did a lot of guard work (mostly guarding vehicles and artillery weapons). We spent a week at a remote location doing 2 hour shifts every 6 hours never being able to string more that 3 hours of sleep because of other duties (cleaning, chopping wood...). Every time we went on these "missions" we would pray that the leaders of the guard would be sane. If they weren't, it was a week of hell, of constant belittlement.
Fascinating
I couldn’t help thinking this description is a 100% accurate depiction of military dynamics.
ive had to do some shitty stuff during my 6 years, but nothing quite like that. thanks for sharing
your choice
This is undoubtedly the best, most visually appealing, most detailed, and most undeniably perception-altering video essay I've ever seen. Serious, serious props to you, you broadened my view of the film and of life as a whole in a way no other video has. You've earned a subscriber, my friend!
Decided to give this video a shot even though I ultimately didn't enjoy the end of the film. Really great stuff. I'm going to watch the film again and try to formulate an argument why I had a negative reaction to the ending.
I’d love to hear it! Really dig your Knives Out vid, btw
too on the nose with the promethean "symbolism"? That's how it felt to me and maybe why some people didn't bother to dig deeper than that one interpretation
Following
@@patatopie It wasn't just the "on the nose" aspect, to me, it also felt way too abrupt. All this build-up to Winslow/Howard getting to see what that light is hiding, then...he goes boom. Smash cut to grotesque imagery, credits.
It just felt like they ran out of filming days and had to throw together the ending with not enough footage.
@@WobblesandBean personally I didn't feel it was abrupt at all. The entire movie is building tension up until that point and although the scene is short it is still very powerful. Also I'd rather see some visually cool and interesting on-the-nose symbolism than some braindead general audience Marvel movie any day.
This is the best, most graphic and artistically pleasing explanation I’ve got of this movie so far. It shows that you’re informed intricately and truly passioned about what you do. This video feels a like docu-film and, aside from being entertained, I’ve learned so much from it. Thank you! Keep up the great work!
I'd seen your Midsommar video floating around my recommendations for months, but hadn't seen the movie yet and didn't want to spoil it. Finally watched it yesterday and immediately looked up your video (which was incredible) and then gasped VERY loudly when I saw you did one on the lighthouse, one of my favorite movies. Idk if you read comments on old videos, but I just wanted to say you're an absolute gem and I'm so happy you're sharing your talent with us all !! If I had money to help support you I would, but for now I'll just like, comment, and share with everyone I know. 🖤
I do read old comments sometimes! Thank you!
Windslow: hey, so-
Wake: "I fart in your general direction!"
Dude, that was incredible, so impactful. About that last monologue... the lines, the artistic style referenced from the movie, you sharing your job life experiences... holy shit
We all know what a brilliant actor DaFoe is, but this was the first movie which opened my eyes to Pattinson’s range.
This movie along with this amazing analysis perfectly describes life in the Army and every damned relationship with anyone of higher rank. The frantic and pedantic shifts from boss to friend and the table setting is a perfect analogy for every time authority felt perfectly entitled to take a big steamy dump on subordinates out of sheer personal convinience and self importance rather than any regard for the mission. Then, without a sliver of shame of hypocrisy, turn around and talk about trust and comraderie. This is so picture perfect I want to yell into nothingness out of being grateful that you put into words a damnable frustration I've observed for the better part of a decade. Even the scene of the gleeful dotting of the "i" in the log is a perfect description of how I've observed some people to ever so arrogantly and proudly damn an individual's time into drudgery under a thinly veiled guise of necessary work. Work so utterly meaningless, worthless, unncessary, that it boggles the mind of anyone that hears of it outside of the context of the need to stay busy by any means since anything short of that would mean you are a piece of shit. Great work!!
dude yes. I've been saying it since I first saw this movie when it came out but this film portrays EXACTLY what it feels like to be in the military in a subordinate position. Some of my NCOs in the marines acted in that same way. switching between friend and foe. Sitting by as we worked hard at a task that basically would never or could never get done
7 years in and I have never seen the army life described so perfectly. I was recently made stay awake for 44 hours for no god damn reason other than to take a big steamy shit on me
I feel this. The fact that I felt too intimidated to object to a superior telling me about their philandering and plan to leave their spouse, or proselytizing their religion, were major factors to my decision to leave the military, despite my good record and prospects of advancement.
Jeez that part when you talked about passing by houses you can't afford and feeling envy and shame really hit hard...
“Power farts” LMFAOOOOOOOOOO
Hi
Bro I'm convinced you watch every single video essay on this God forsaken website
Your monologue at the end really resonated with me. I'm a mental health worker. Been working in the field for 8 years. I love the work itself. It's hard work, and does not pay very well, but I'm good at it, and I get to help people. I've recently realized, though, that the field does not reward people who are passionate and work hard. It rewards people who smile and nod, and blow smoke up their manager's ass. I'm very outspoken in advocating for my clients and their needs, and that outspokenness has ultimately hurt my chances of getting promotions and moving up in the field. When I do something that proves management wrong, I'm punished for it. Even when I'm right, I'm wrong. Even when I'm a good worker, I'm a bad employee. I think I need to re-watch The Lighthouse with the perspectives you've laid out in this video. You make a lot of points that I hadn't really considered when I first watched it. Really well done video essay.
Same with anything else in life
@@WarriorOfTheLostLand Examples please??
Dude, I cleaned houses for years. It’s honest, creates a beautiful clean environment and therefore has meaning, and it can be done with joy. Thanks for doing that hard work, even without getting paid shit or having any sense of job security. ❤️ Vive le working class!
It's very hard on the joints, though.
That is the whole theme to Johnny Cash's Get a Rhythm song. "Well I asked him while he shined my shoes, how'd he keep from getting the blues" "He grinned as he raised his little head, he popped his shoeshine rag and then he said: "Get A Rhythm".
Most service jobs can be looked at this way. Its too bad that covid stuck a knife in the service industry in America... coincidently one of the only industries left that average Americans can earn a living in. Manufacturing is gone and the value of tech work is lower than ever due to an overcrowded pool of candidates... what else is there besides government?
That sounds like an excuse to accept a shitty lot in life, and personally gives me "working three jobs is a uniquely American thing" vibes.... Yikes.
Lazy entitled commie children hate honest work
Something Ive never seen mentioned but i noticed on my 3rd watch through is how at the scene around 12:13 - Wake goes from discussing his old helper's demise, to immediately warning Winslow about not killing the seagull. Then when Winslow gets slapped and stands up, his shadow at 12:18 almost looks like there is a second shadowy head above his own heads shadow. And right after that Wake looks like he saw a ghost, and stops the conversation.
Great catch
Damn
It looks mangled, too. Crazy!
"YOUNG looks again at OLD: He’s shaken. Terrified. A shell of
himself. More frightening than his outburst of anger was."
fuckin nailed it dude
Dude that is fucking awesome I love it when people notice these tiny hidden things!!
Good job! Now, do The End Of Evangelion.
ooooh yeah I'll put that on my list of maybe-one-days
Acolytes of Horror trust me my friend a LOT of people are still looking for answers in that movie and series
Oh jeez...... That would be ROUGH.
I'd love to see it too but have mercy xD
@@TheGililgi I think to find answers there you have to watch the complete series and to know some lore behind the production etc.
Or "The Fountain".......i love this movie
I have watched this video nearly a hundred times now. My god, this video is so underrated, so enrapturing, it is a work of art in and of itself. I remember watching this video directly after watching the lighthouse for the first time. Tbh, I did not get the lighthouse and thought it was too esoteric for me. This video gave me a true appreciation for the movie, and an appreciation for creators like yourself. I should have posted this comment two years ago when I first saw saw this video, but better late than never I suppose.
This got too real several times and I had to pause and take a breath.
Should have specified: this commentary got too real. The movie... I paused for other reasons.
Same. The movie itself is very, VERY difficult to watch.
Yeah I'm really tired of being poor too
Absolute standing ovation. This was cathartic to watch and the kind of sentiment I’m seeing from so many folks on here these days and it’s about dang time. If the Lighthouse has a DVD release I hope this video is a special feature on it because it was the best follow up to a movie I’ve ever watched. You’re brilliant and I hope you continue to do what you love.
i haven’t even seen the movie and i feel like that was just as impactful
why would you spoil the movie by watching this video before the movie? i mean this is not a masterpieces but it`s 100% a movie worth watching and even minor spoilers can ruin it ,for me at least
tzane123 idk can’t really sit through movies very good
@@miriamjanes8996 saying that after watching a 40 min video on youtube xD
tzane123 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@miriamjanes8996 hey man you do you and what makes you happy
Cause of death "madness related incident". Yes, that's the way I want to go. 😁
Your ending segment where you talk to the camera and juxtapose Howard's struggle to the modern struggle of working "lower end" jobs with false hopes of better days kinda hit a little to close to home. This was an incredible video essay and I enjoyed every minute of it!
This is a great analysis! My only knowledge of The Lighthouse is a hilarious tweet saying this and Portrait of a Lady on Fire is both examples of what happens when women are left alone on a deserted island vs. men. I’m glad to get more insight outside of jokes.
I love this analysis!
Another Lie we can add is the whole Lie that Howard tells himself about his backstory. By the time we are introduced to him, he has convinced himself that he is a murderer. But we have no evidence of this. The logjam was clearly an accident and the characterization he gives of his former boss is of a person who probably would not have believed him even if he had called out to save him. Or is this also a lie he tells to himself and us? We cant know the truth of it. Clearly Howard actively took the mans identity... but murder?
The events of the film repeatedly show him doing everything in his power to AVOID murdering Wake. He vents his frustration into working harder for a time. He murders the gull. He attempts to leave the island on the boat. He stops pummelling him when he has almost killed him. He buries him in a shallow grave to try to let the dirt do what he cant actually commit to. Despite his own internal torment and Wake's accusations, clearly Howard is NOT a callous murderer.
This seems to have been an almost Romantic invention of Howards imagination, some way of justifying his desire to live an isolated life away from others, and justification for his self loathing and obsessions. Its a story he tells out of guilt, but also because he hopes to be both pitied and feared. That perhaps if he tells this tale of murder this old man will leave him alone. But it has the opposite effect. Despite taunting him about it, Wake is not at all phased because he doesnt believe for a moment this lie Howards believes about himself. If anything, it shows to Wake that Howard is deeply prone to delusions and self pity, characteristics he chooses to manipulate even more.
How come you don't have millions of subscribers or even a teaching position? This video was spectacular through and through. Not only was this an excellent analysis, the editing was phenomenal too.
I honestly wish you get to do more and more of these videos and get to a better position in life where you are being appreciated for your work.
I remember when people were saying minimum wage should be raised to match cost of living and people argued that "you think fast food workers should earn the same as teachers and nurses" as if the only way to measure their own success is by how much others are suffering and how much better off they are than them. Why shouldn't everyone in full time work get paid enough to meet the cost of living. People in "skilled labour" jobs should be campaining for better pay, not blocking people in "unskilled labour" jobs from a pay increase. The only reason you want to block the pay increase in those situations is because you want to feel superior to the people who earn less than you.
Anyway this reminds me of that. Fighting with each other instead of with the system we should really be angry at.
There should be no minimum wage. You are not entitled to anything. No one owes you anything.
@@JeanDeaux666 I feel like opinion of a clown pepe pfp isn't something I should take seriously.
@@inanordinaryway Remember that I can vote and it counts just as much as yours.
@@JeanDeaux666 wait, wait, wait. Are you really not a troll? Just with the pfp and the name I just assumed.
@@inanordinaryway I am both a troll and also very far individualist.
The Liehouse
Or, The Darktruth House?
nice
*deep inhale*
u rite
I just love the sound design and the condensed camera frame. The whole movie is purposley being uncomfortable and I love that. Such an amazing horror.
Your ending monologue really resonated with me. I work for an insurance company with an office on Lake Minnetonka in MN. Its known as one of the wealthiest areas in the state, if not the midwest. Every day I leave my apartment that I can only afford with the joint income from my husband. Everyday I get in my 9 year old car, and drive to a job that also refuses to pay benefits. An insurance company that can't even give its own employees health insurance. And every day I drive past multistory mansions speckled along the Shoreline of the lake. I pass countless Mercedes and Lexus and tesla vehicles on my commute. I hear customers complain that the insurance on their brand new, 2020 vehicle caused their insurance to go up $15/mo. Its nauseating. If I didn't have a larger purpose that I was working towards- a music career- I would go insane. I would get so bitter. In some ways I still have. They don't even know how few struggles they have. They can't even relate to someone who buys the generic brand at the grocery store to save a few bucks. Only my peers can relate. The poor, the disillusioned, the minorities, the indebted, the artists, the creatives, the hippies, the outsiders. And theres so, so, so many more of us than them.
~~ Lake Minnetonka...my mind went straight Prince ~~
Hang in there fellow worker! As someone once said “Don’t let the bastards grind you down “
With more and more people falling into poverty with every year that passes, the middle class all but gone and the few that remain in the middle class only counting the days until they get sucked into the ever growing black hole of poverty because you bet your ass there's no way ANYBODY in middle class America is going to be upwardly mobile.
Ah, a person after me own heart.
subscribed! good luck on your musical search!
The thoughtfulness of the work you’re doing here blows me away.
The aspect ratio is a brilliant touch
This video was so brilliant and important - particularly the metaphorical fight of poor against poor, grasping at stupid ideas like ‘seniority’ and ‘merit’ to differentiate the one from the next, all while the Big Guys know this is nothing but a terrible, awful game of Monopoly they have already won. Working for apps, dreaming of owning things, buying things and finding they don’t elevate your being, maybe just your status. How thin that illusion is, anyway. How well we’ve done, working and working and working to achieve the superficial, to achieve what we could have without working and working and working - that is, a walk in the woods, a moment of silence, a hug, a laugh, making something with our own hands, making art. We can do all of that without Jeff Bezos and Co. Right? Thank you so much - you’ve got a subscriber! :)
I really appreciate this analysis, I never thought about it this way. I watched it in a small theatre, alone with only two other people in the cinema and I was enchanted by the atmosphere and the feel of it. I've read many "takes" on it and many of them have given me insight into it but none as complete as this. To me the movie was, and still is, a loveletter to movie making as an artform but your take on it certainly vibes best with me.
So far, this is the movie I've liked the best out of any I see. Considering what it is it may be odd but to me it is actually kind of a comfort watch because it is so immersive and beautiful.
Man the actors really both deliver the performance of a lifetime in this film. They're so, so good. And the anamorphic aspect ratio with the black and white color palette is so claustrophobic. This movie oozes texture and tonal consistency
Yes!
Three videos beforehand, when I just came across your Midsommar review essay, I didn't expect how deeply you'd analyze these films, it gives me a deeper understanding and appreciation for the work, stories and messages the writers directors, and actors were trying to communicate. In fact I'd say you're the translator for those of us who are left questioning these films without thinking of why these questions are being asked. Honestly, you have an amazing talent and these videos are so well edited, and written, plus the copycat scenes you set up at the end, I really hope you're able to at least earn some money from RUclips for them. I was so disappointed when you opened up about your job, I used to work for DoorDash, and completely understand the "well, who's my boss? What happens when a customer treats /me/ unfairly? Am I really earning enough for what I do?" I'm happy to see that at least now your talent and intelligence can be appreciated through this medium, keep up the amazing work.
video so good i gotta comment twice lmao... i've seen so many deep dives into the lighthouse on youtube but you bring up so many unique points i've never heard or noticed before... brilliant job!
One of the best movies of the last several years ... to use a trite phrase; a tour de force. Wonderful on so many levels.
I’m glad that line got cut from the final. It’s interesting to hear, but it’s too literal and doesn’t really suit the tone... too confrontational in context of their games.
I think I missed it. What's the line?
@@Luncea28 the one before the fight scene where defoe would have said "I am truth"
@@2am254 Thanks!
I thought this would be a fun playlist to watch while I put up Halloween decorations... now I need to lie down and think about my life choices.
Ha! Intention fulfilled! Welcome aboard!
I love how this video is the same aspect ratio as the film 😍
I feel kind of hollowed out and fried like I just sat through a horror movie that really, really worked for me, only I just watched a YT video about the movie and can’t even watch the movie itself because the seagull scene would elicit the kind of horror I -don’t-want more of. I don’t feel so much like I’m missing out on the film after watching this. I know it’s no replacement, but I straight up can’t handle the intense feelings from movies like this these days. Mind and body are too fried for the adrenaline. So it’s not “I watched a YT vid on it so now I don’t need to see the thing itself”, it’s “I was never going to be able to see the thing itself but was still able to engage with the parts of it that are the most harrowing to me because someone took the time to lay it out”
So like. Thank you for making this, and damn, I’m gonna stay up a little later than planned and digest this lmao
Uhhh. W o w ? I’m like speechless with how excellent this is.
I don't know if I'll ever sit down and watch The Lighthouse again but this is at least my 5th time rewatching this
I quit my job as a teacher just a few short months before COVID hit. I found myself working 20-hour days for my company, constantly having to take on new responsibilities not in my job description, and bringing my work home with me in a way that took over my life. For the year that I worked like this, I failed every single college course I was in.
I was able to coast off of my savings for a bit, and eventually got my GPA on track to being repaired, but now I'm entirely financially dependant on my parents again and it sucks. Watching this analysis has made me realize why I'm so dissatisfied living with my parents, since they fulfill the same "boss but friend" role Old wants to. Funny how that sort of capitalist way of thinking has worked its way into even our family dynamic.
Thank you for helping me recognize this through your analysis. Good luck on your future videos! I look forward to seeing more of your work :^)
And thank you for sharing. Best of luck
I've had pretty much the same situation and wait with dread for covid to throw me right back into it, because of that past nightmare.
Wow so I didn't really "get" a lot of a message from the Lighthouse but I certainly have a new appreciation for the subtleties and micro-aggressions and what they could be attributed to between the characters. Chills! I enjoyed the movie a lot just for its weird surreal nostalgic feel and overall ambiance, but it's all so much more interesting having watched your deconstruction here.
I'm looking forward to seeing what your future uploads will be, since your Midsommar video was also very good. I feel like the VVitch or the Ritual is very much in your style, but I'll be excited to see whatever you have coming up!
As a former military member I can completely empathize with that feeling of "Why am I toiling so hard for seemingly no reward?"
It's finding solace in the small things that break up the monotony that helps you stay sane.
That's why I'm of the opinion that a cigarette break should be treated like a holy ritual, for its one of the only things to give you a brief reprieve from the crushing grind of the day.
"i'm thinking of ending things" would be an amazing movie for you to do an analysis on! Please please I'd love to hear your opinion
The Foundflix ending explained put it into perspective pretty well.
Im a single mother Im tired of being poor also and living a lie the time is 11:11 pm. We all deserve a better life and taco bell honey much love.
@@elliotspencer6656 stfu
@@elliotspencer6656 wouldve prevented your existence
Were you as drunk as Wake when writing this?
Dude, you’re so insightful and passionate. The speech at the ends gave me CHILLS
That moment where you talk about your job... Really hit in a way I wasn't expecting. Also, great analysis. It's been a while since I've watched the movie, but it's did make me feel crazy by the end. Just the endless lying and lack of a known reality, which is probably why I loved it.
Holy hell... I’m legitimately feel the dread I expect from Lovecraftian eldritch horrors. Glad the eyeballs directed me here, even if I feel like I’m staring into the endless and empty void.
"We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open...
Fear the old blood."
amen to that!
I completely agree with this. I just did not understand how people were like light=power and Winslow is Prometheus. I was thinking that it was just so much deeper because that theory is just so surface level. I’m so hype for the annihilation video though! Stick with it man your content is extremely underrated and of the highest quality!
Thank you! I do my damndest!
_ light=power and Winslow is Prometheus_ -- The reference painting scheme is inverted (Dafoe should be clothed, and Winslow nude) in the glowing eyes/hand on shoulder still shot.
Well from my watches with the film ive definitely found that the light attributes towards heaven, the script says so and theres lots of hints towards it. Pretty cool concept if you ask me
To add to this Robert Eggers says: "When you're looking at that light, you're communing with something that's not human, that's beyond human, thats eternal".
Annihilation has become one of my all time favorite movies! Can’t wait for an analysis on that!
This was such a cathartic and beautiful watch, you did an incredible job here. I've never been left so impressed by a video before.
I'll be honest when I saw this movie a few years back i was so lost but still enjoyed it a lot. Coming by this video years later i just need to see it again. This essay is immensely well written and the passion behind it make me really get into it
The whole premise of Lighthouse is basically a live-action adaptation of _The Misadventures of Flapjack_ where Flapjack and Knuckles stuck in an island with a lighthouse, and went insane. At the end, Flapjack murdered Knuckles, and he finally found the Candy Island for the last time before he died.
Wait, lemme guess ... you got that from that Knowledge Hub video about Flapjack.
Winslow is like and Edgar Allen Poe character, an un trustable narrator...
I'm so glad I found this channel by "accident" (algorythms...). I watched the three essays, about Midsommar, Anihilation and now this, and they just kept getting better. The Anihilation one has put me in this silent medidative place, not necessarily agreeing to it, but it made me relive all that I had already felt watching the film last time maybe even more lively than I had at first. I even watched the movie again, and it was a different experience this time.
Now, with The Lighthouse, I once again feel glad those movies were made and that I watched them so that this essay could have such an impact on me. We probably have more or less the same age, and I'm just recently coming to accept my toll in life - not finding a job I love, but one where I can be mostly left alone. I don't know if I can express how much I empathize with the ideas and feelings here, but mostly, how it made a film I already loved for being quirky and horror-like into something about our own horror of enduring the absurdity of what was done with life. Got me wondering if I would be this bored, if I was going to need to much guts and bravery to not feel sad, if we had just nature, food and tropical diseases to care about, or if we were destined regardless to this lack of sense. I once again leave this video quite inspired to think and create. Take good care, keep the amazing job going.
Powerhouse review of the most criminally underrated movie of the past few years. Subscribed.
dont see how it was underrated...people were talking about it alot when it came out and regarded it positively.
@@RabidlyTaboo The Lighthouse wasn't a commercial hit. It's worldwide box office was a meager $18M, which is an extremely partly number in pre-pandemic times. The film didn't win any major awards (nominated for Best Cinematography by the Academy, and that was it). The buzz was mixed, and minimal (many viewers finding it too confusing, and too weird). I'm glad you liked it, and found circles where it was talked about upon release. But generally, it was a criminally underrated movie.
I just found your videos today and watched this and Midsommar in a row. I love how your doing these videos. I haven't seen much on The Lighthouse but I've watched basically every Midsommar video and yours is such a unique take when I thought there ere none left. Great work!!!!!
My jaw dropped at 33:19 and I feel like I didn't breathe until the credits rolled, which is the same way I felt when I saw the Lighthouse for the first time. Staggeringly great work.
I wonder what the monopoly experiment would look like when performed in a different country
It was bs from the start. Its only a board game and any sense of dominance you get from the winning player boils down to individual personalities. A shy person wouldnt lose their shyness because they had a wad of monopoly money. So it'd be the same in every country.
@@StainsStainsStains This sounds like conjecture and I'd posit that a shy person might use a sanctioned activity like a game as a crutch to exhibit certain dominating behaviors. It's what you're supposed to do when winning. One might even go further into that behavior without any previous experience with that power or the behavior that come with it. And yes a shy person might not be as expressive but could still be quite excited compared to their usual behaviors. Regardless I don't know the details either so just pontificating on behavioral science data without data is moot for persuasion in any direction.
Who still hears the foghorn in their head?I do😇
i never even thought of this interpretation. my takeaway was that it was an examination of male ego told with spooky birds and tentacles, but i like yours better. i'm going to steal it in casual conversation
Hahaha
That’s what video essays are all about lol
Acolytes of Horror facts lmao
It's that, too. The beauty of films like this is how subjective they are. There's a hundred different interpretations you could take away from it, and none are any less valid than the other. I saw a very strong "anti toxic masculinity" vibe within it, too.
This movie feels depressing yet freeing at the same time, just like Waiting for Godot, just like Kafka's works.
I enjoy household chores and other mechanical physical activity because it gives me consolation from all the thinking I am required to do for job and school. However, should I continue such work for long periods of time, it would become frustrating. Should it become my job, maybe I would convince myself to see something as a 'light' - something without an inherent meaning, but which makes sense of my life and struggles.
Also I get bored of Monopoly within the first half an hour or so, regardless of how well I am doing. Truly, it might motivate me if I'm rich af, but in the end you just have to rely on external circumstances (dice rolls, rent, debt, etc).
Great work, you deserve more recognition!
Ooof, your monologue at the end of part two felt so significant and relatable. Fantastic analysis. Thank you.