6 Things To Watch After The Lighthouse
3. The Strange Thing About The Johnsons (2011)
A contemporary of Robert Eggers, Ari Aster is another director who is drawn to horror and comedy. The chances are that if you like Eggers' work then you'll be a fan of Aster too. His feature films can be draining watches. Brilliant but dramatic to the point of being painful. (Midsommar has more comedy in it than Hereditary.) However, we would recommend his earlier work for this companion marathon. This short, for which he first gained recognition, has both in spades.
To reveal much of the plot would be to spoil the short. Basically, as with all of Aster's work, the focus is on the breakdown of a dysfunctional family unit. Grotesquely dysfunctional - and all the funnier for it. In The Lighthouse, Young is hiding a secret from his past that he later reveals drunkenly ("Why'd you spill your beans?") to Old. It is clear that sharing this burden is a painful act, yet one he hopes his roommate can alleviate the guilt he's feeling.
Secrets and how heavily they weigh on those holding them is a huge theme of The Strange Thing About The Johnsons. A mainstay of Aster's short films, Billy Mayo gives an unforgettable performance as tortured father Sidney. Mayo sadly passed away last year; we would urge film fans to check out all of his collaborations with Aster.