The Lighthouse

The ending of “The Lighthouse” is deliberately ambiguous and open to interpretation, emphasizing the film’s themes of madness, identity, and myth. Throughout the film, Winslow and Wake spiral into hallucinations and delusions, blurring the line between reality and imagination. As Winslow becomes increasingly obsessed with uncovering the lighthouse’s secrets, he is driven to a tragic fate, symbolized by the image of seagulls tearing at his liver, a clear allusion to Prometheus’s punishment for seeking forbidden knowledge. The final moments show Winslow burying Wake alive and delivering a prophetic monologue about Proteus—highlighting the idea that he’s either destined for a Promethean, enlightenment-like fate or condemned to eternal ignorance. The film suggests that what Winslow ultimately finds at the lighthouse may be beyond human comprehension, and perhaps it’s better not to know. The last shot leaves viewers pondering whether Winslow’s journey was real or a descent into madness, reinforcing the film’s exploration of human obsession, myth, and the divine. In the end, “The Lighthouse” does not provide neat closure but instead invites us to accept that some mysteries are impossible to resolve, much like the eternal sea and its mythic symbols.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:44