Inland Empire

Inland Empire. David Lynch. 2006.

By Emacs! What a magnificent movie! I have no idea what it’s all about, but there wasn’t a nanosecond of that movie that I didn’t love watching what’s in front of me. I usually type these things during the boring parts of movies, or when getting more wine, but I was so completely riveted by this movie that I’m typing this afterwards.

My guess it that Lynch didn’t quite know what he was going to make when he started to film it, and it sort of developed from there. But everything makes perfect sense in a sort of associative way. I think that’s a major part of Lynch’s genius: His scenes make emotional sense even if you can’t quite make out how they make logical sense.

I probably have more problems making out what’s going on than most people, because my memory for, like, names, faces, words, things, concepts, and, er, names, is very very bad. And in this movie where people sort of appear … where it makes sense, I’m sitting here going “is that… that guy? No, that’s that guy! Who’s that guy then?” a lot of the time.

But Laura Dern, man. Without her, there wouldn’t have been a movie here at all. She totally carries it, and is completely marvellous throughout.

And I wonder about Lynch’s decision to use digital video for this thing. I mean, back in 2006, digital video basically sucked, and that leaves you with a grainy, bandy experience today. But it does give you something kinda special, because it allows Lynch to film using natural lights and drive the camera way into the faces of the actors.

For good and bad, but mostly good.

And I just absolutely adore the end title sequence: After a pretty harrowing three hours, we get an absolutely, totally joyful ending to it all. It’s Lynch taking care of us all.

And Agnes B., of course.

I guess this might well be Lynch’s final movie, but it’s a good way to go out.

(And then we got the wonderful Twin Peaks coda.)