The Northman and the Strange Career of Robert Eggers

This week we're discussing the new Viking epic The Northman in the context of writer-director Robert Eggers' brief but spectacular career, including his first two feature films, The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019). Deserving of the term "auteur" if anyone is, Eggers admits he had to deal with more creative interference than ever before with big-budget film The Northman, his attempt to widen his audience appeal by making the "most entertaining Robert Eggers film" he could manage. What affect has an attempt to go mainstream had on Eggers' idiosyncratic filmmaking?