Scan and Pan
Monday, January 22, 2007
INLAND EMPIRE
Lynch describes the film as being "about a woman in trouble, and it's a mystery." It is, on both counts. To describe the story to someone who hasn't seen it is probably an exercise in futility, but suffice it to say it involves an actress named Nikki Grace starring in a remake of a cursed foreign film, her character in the film, a Hollywood streetwalker, shady men in Poland, and a television sitcom about a family of anthropomorphic rabbits. Oh, and there are dancing girls, a lumberjack, and a monkey, too.
This film represents Lynch at his absolute finest, an American surrealist telling the stories lurking in the shadows of his mind without any consideration for mainstream tastes. It isn't improvised, but it's quite close - he would write the next day's scenes each evening and the actors would receive them just before shooting. In a different director's hands this could easily turn into a self-indulgent mess, but in his hands it's an artistic statement and the purest expression of his brand of surrealism since Eraserhead three decades ago. He also serves as editor, composer, and as one of the camera operators, making him a true auteur. There's a surprising amount of humor in the film, contrasting with a sense of dread that wouldn't be out of place in a Japanese horror film. At nearly three hours of running time, it's easily his longest film, but it never feels as long as that.
It's also the first Lynch film to be shot entirely on digital video, and no attempt is made to give it a more cinematic appearance. It's the most unpolished looking film he's ever made, with the rich, vivid images of his previous films being replaced by murky, grimy ones. While some critics have complained about the look created by Norwegian cinematographer Odd-Geir Saether, this is a raw, unfiltered download from Lynch's brain to the cinema screen, and the cinematography correctly reflects this. Filmed in southern California and Poland, there's a mood of decay everywhere.
Laura Dern, who had key roles in previous Lynch films Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, delivers an astonishing, multifaceted performance that is without a doubt the best of her career. The film may lack a traditional narrative, but Dern's performance creates a compelling narrative of its own, no matter which of the two (possibly three) characters she's playing. If this was a mainstream film, she would earn an Oscar nomination, but the non-mainstream nature of the production may hurt her chances.
Other notable performances are delivered by Jeremy Irons as a film director, Harry Dean Stanton in a funny turn as the director's right hand man, Justin Theroux as Nikki's co-star in the film being made, Peter J. Lucas as Nikki's controlling husband (possibly a gangster), Karolina Gruszka as a young woman crying in a hotel room while watching television, Grace Zabriskie as Nikki's eccentric neighbor, Ian Abercrombie as Nikki's butler, and Nae Yuuki as a homeless girl. Scott Coffey, Laura Harring, and Naomi Watts perform as the rabbit family (reprising their roles from Lynch's Internet short film series, Rabbits).
This is a film for hardcore Lynch fans or fans of avant-garde cinema. If you're not a fan or only a casual one, or if you prefer mainstream filmmaking, this film is probably not for you. I think it's an audacious and brilliant piece of art that, on its own terms, may just be the best film of 2006.
The prospect of seeing a new film from a favorite director is like opening a Christmas package. There's a lot of anticipation and you hope that once it's unwrapped you'll find a wonderful gift. This is perhaps the strangest feature film that writer/director David Lynch has ever made, which is saying a lot, but it's the perfect present for his hardcore fans.
Lynch describes the film as being "about a woman in trouble, and it's a mystery." It is, on both counts. To describe the story to someone who hasn't seen it is probably an exercise in futility, but suffice it to say it involves an actress named Nikki Grace starring in a remake of a cursed foreign film, her character in the film, a Hollywood streetwalker, shady men in Poland, and a television sitcom about a family of anthropomorphic rabbits. Oh, and there are dancing girls, a lumberjack, and a monkey, too.
This film represents Lynch at his absolute finest, an American surrealist telling the stories lurking in the shadows of his mind without any consideration for mainstream tastes. It isn't improvised, but it's quite close - he would write the next day's scenes each evening and the actors would receive them just before shooting. In a different director's hands this could easily turn into a self-indulgent mess, but in his hands it's an artistic statement and the purest expression of his brand of surrealism since Eraserhead three decades ago. He also serves as editor, composer, and as one of the camera operators, making him a true auteur. There's a surprising amount of humor in the film, contrasting with a sense of dread that wouldn't be out of place in a Japanese horror film. At nearly three hours of running time, it's easily his longest film, but it never feels as long as that.
It's also the first Lynch film to be shot entirely on digital video, and no attempt is made to give it a more cinematic appearance. It's the most unpolished looking film he's ever made, with the rich, vivid images of his previous films being replaced by murky, grimy ones. While some critics have complained about the look created by Norwegian cinematographer Odd-Geir Saether, this is a raw, unfiltered download from Lynch's brain to the cinema screen, and the cinematography correctly reflects this. Filmed in southern California and Poland, there's a mood of decay everywhere.
Laura Dern, who had key roles in previous Lynch films Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, delivers an astonishing, multifaceted performance that is without a doubt the best of her career. The film may lack a traditional narrative, but Dern's performance creates a compelling narrative of its own, no matter which of the two (possibly three) characters she's playing. If this was a mainstream film, she would earn an Oscar nomination, but the non-mainstream nature of the production may hurt her chances.
Other notable performances are delivered by Jeremy Irons as a film director, Harry Dean Stanton in a funny turn as the director's right hand man, Justin Theroux as Nikki's co-star in the film being made, Peter J. Lucas as Nikki's controlling husband (possibly a gangster), Karolina Gruszka as a young woman crying in a hotel room while watching television, Grace Zabriskie as Nikki's eccentric neighbor, Ian Abercrombie as Nikki's butler, and Nae Yuuki as a homeless girl. Scott Coffey, Laura Harring, and Naomi Watts perform as the rabbit family (reprising their roles from Lynch's Internet short film series, Rabbits).
This is a film for hardcore Lynch fans or fans of avant-garde cinema. If you're not a fan or only a casual one, or if you prefer mainstream filmmaking, this film is probably not for you. I think it's an audacious and brilliant piece of art that, on its own terms, may just be the best film of 2006.
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