Trauma, Surrealism and Time Out of Joint in The Lighthouse

Abstract

The main problem of Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse is the concept of time. Both protagonists of the movie are tied to a certain point of their past via their traumas and this fixation completely sprains their experience of time. In my essay, I demonstrate how this sprain is called to life in the movie and I also point out how the different aspects of interpretation converge in the recurring motif of the mermaid. I also articulate how Eggers uses the tool of “direct aging” to create a unique, time-travelling experience of reception while I demonstrate the most important differences between the concept of nostalgia and trauma.