In another film, a lighthouse setting might represent a character’s sense of resilience during hard and dark times. A way of staying safe or finding safety. Yet in Beacon, a lighthouse is less a cliché and simply more a breeding ground for isolation and creepiness. That isn’t to say Roxy Shih‘s film doesn’t seek a connection between a troubled, young sailor and her unexpected destination. Like a mirror, the lighthouse’s symbolism only changes as the film takes a new course and heads into less predictable waters.
The protagonist of Beacon, a grieving young woman with an urn full of her father’s ashes in tow, is already in full sail at the start of the film. Emily (Julia Goldani Telles) isn’t on her own for long, though, because her ship crashes somewhere off Cape Horn and she wakes up in an unfamiliar bed. Understandably, Emily is terrified when she finds herself in a place she doesn’t recognize, and with a man she’s never seen before. The initial panic subsides for the moment as Emily gets to know the lonely and seemingly harmless lighthouse keeper Ismael (Demián Bichir). Nevertheless, the audience’s sense of suspicion returns in due time.
A tendency to float toward rather than swim straight for shore will make Beacon seem like it’s meandering, but in actuality, this film wants its destination to feel less obvious. One read of its basic pitch, and Beacon could only be a game of cat and mouse set on an island. Maybe another rehash of The Most Dangerous Game. Thankfully, these waters are not so clear or predictable. For sure, Emily will be scolded by audiences for trusting Ismael so readily after the initial misunderstandings. However, it’s worth remembering what Bichir’s character represents for the stranded sailor; with the subtlety of a tsunami, the film dives into daddy/daughter issues that don’t come across as inspired, yet they may feel relatable to certain viewers.
When Beacon is expected to zig, it zags. That development comes a tad late into the story, though, the film succumbs to the anticipated and harrowing friction between two strangers who feel betrayed after having bonded. How exactly that happens and turns out, on the other hand, is where Beacon is more of a surprise.
If this story is of little to no appeal, or it ultimately lacks punch, then the two central performances are what keep it afloat. Telles and Bichir elevate the material with their depictions of two very broken people who, much like this film, are lost at sea.
Beacon screened at Tribeca Film Festival 2024.
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