The Lighthouse

The limits of faith and sanity are tested when men charged with manning a lighthouse at the turn of the 19th century find themselves trapped by the elements. The feeling of claustrophobia is palpable, as the diametrically opposed pair (played by Mark Lewis Jones and Michael Jibson) begin to unravel due to their circumstances. Chris Crow's sharp direction creates a character out of the weather, while the notion that horror lurks within the lighthouse keepers themselves makes things that much more unsettling. Jones and Jibson do a tremendous job, revealing oceans of subtext between the silences. On the downside, the relentlessly dour tone makes it hard to become deeply invested in the story, especially when it seems things are not going to finish well. The Lighthouse ends up being consumed by the limitations it puts on itself, but nonetheless succeeds in being an unnerving piece of psychological horror.