Film writing by Sean Michael Erickson
They say the sea is a cruel mistress. In THE LIGHTHOUSE, the second feature film from Robert Eggers, we learn just how cruel life can be when you're stuck on an island with little else but booze, folk tales, superstition and Wiillem Dafoe to keep you company. It's a dark and unrelenting ride, but one that haunts the mind and offers plenty to admire.
Read MoreRobert Pattinson has supposedly called the movie a "slapstick western," but I have a hunch he may have intended something closer to a "western farce." These terms tend to get mixed up because they often coexist. It's common for a farce to contain some slapstick elements as a way of reinforcing the chaotic and unpredictable nature of the genre (or the spirit of the story being told), but Damsel isn't much of a slapstick anything. It's not a Three Stooges western. It is quite silly, clever and violent at times, but at its heart it is a tragedy -- one that is both funny and sad, sometimes within the same scene. And I think that's a big reason why it makes for a very successful farce.
Read MoreAnother great apocalyptic Aussie flick featuring memorable performances from the reliably brilliant Guy Pearce and a more surprisingly great Robert Pattinson.
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