My issues with this film lie at the very core, the very philosophy it was built on. Eggers' film is a love letter to the "death of the author" concept, which holds that the artist's true intention for the art is no more valid that the audience's interpretation of it. Perhaps the author did not mean anything by having the curtains in the character's room be blue, but if the reader saw symbolism there, then there is significance in it. I think this philosophy is a load of crap.

It is little wonder that The Lighthouse, then, is a mishmash of scenes, symbols, references, and dialogue that have only the barest sense of cohesion. After all, why bother trying to convey a story or a message if anyone can just come up with their own valid interpretation? The only concretes are that Pattinson is miserable and is losing his mind. There's clearly some theme going on with Pattinson being divinely punished for past and current sins, but that still doesn't explain much of what takes place in the film. Eggers has said that Pattinson and Dafoe represent Prometheus and Proteus, respectively, but like the rest of the film this provides vibes only and lacks any real depth or meaning.

Pattinson and Dafoe can't agree on what this movie is about. If you search for videos and articles on this movie, you will find 50 different interpretations of what was real and what wasn't, what happened and what was a dream, what was literal and what was metaphor. For me, that is a sign of a movie that has failed somewhere. But I am in the minority.