Inland Empire Review

        It seemed not that long ago in May that I watched Eraserhead. Not knowing what I was going to see with marathoning a season’s worth of films by David Lynch. Of course, I missed out on two films of his that would’ve been a definitive look into the director. Through limited funds and patience, I’ve finally crossed over the bridge with his final feature film. Mind you, while this is the last film he made theatrically speaking, he did other works in other media. Such as delivering the third season to his beloved series Twin Peaks. For his final film, it’s an interesting one in a sense where you feel that it’s taking you down a road that only leads you into another direction. 

1. The Rabbit Hole 

        This isn’t the first time that I have watched Inland Empire. Late last year was when I watched the film as my local film club was presenting it. I will admit that it’s embarrassing on my end to leave the movie around the 30-minute mark. No film should be left, and I always try to soldier on and ignore my gluteus maximus’ muscle to leave. With that one, it wasn’t because the movie is awful or had bits of unpleasantness to it. More so with how it looked, the overall sense of plot and just where it was going made me want to position my feet slowly into walking mode. 

        Just now is when I finally got the courage to watch it once more and take it all in. I had the luxury of inviting a friend to sit down and watch along with me and let me tell you. The movie is anything but conventional in a story-sense. And it’s one of those things where you have to actually pay attention since there’s multiple callbacks to prior scenes and subtle references that are brought up as the film goes along. To describe the film’s plot is a challenge in and of itself. I will be willing to sit down and listen to anyone succinctly describe the plot. I’d buy them a case of beer if anyone is up to it. 

        To my knowledge, I’ll try to at least describe just the point to the plot. It’s three hours and it’s not a slog in a least bit. Just one of those where it becomes interesting since it’s a very unconventional film that has a flow to it where you have no idea where it’s going to go. So we follow this actress Nikki, she’s given a part to be in a film where it hasn’t been finished in its country of origin. With the role, she goes into the character deep alongside her co-actor. From there, well it’s kind of complicated. 

        This is both the film’s biggest highlight and the detriment. We see Laura Dern’s actor go through this imagined version of method acting where she becomes the character. And by that, it’s like she’s transported to this other plane of existence where it’s transcending time and space. It’s a David Lynch film alright. It’s a highlight since we see her act out her parts where she is her main character and the character in the film. The caveat is we don’t know which is which. There’s never a discerning look in the film where we see the film and the movie being shot. Compounding it is how the film looks when viewing it. 

        Right from the start, we see that the film was shot in a basic Sony camcorder. Prior films was when Lynch would shoot his movies with film stock, this is experimental in a sense where he can shoot how he wants without the limit of the reels. At the time, it sort of turned me off since it has that amateur look to it. You can see the shadows of someone holding the camera in some instances. Judge me for being conceited since I didn’t give this film a shot initially, I think it works since it would’ve been too easy to tell which Nikki is acting and when she’s in the other plane. 

        For as unsettling as the film is, I feel that with the story being presented it makes it feel uneasy to approach it. Like, it’s a fine line between being a thriller, psychological horror to an acid trip. All of it weaves and flows as we’re following Laura Dern’s character descending into madness since the script that she’s acting in is cursed. I was for it, until it stopped making sense. It is one of those films that Lynch was making that has vibes written all over it. Take it from me, I like to have stories being told from A to B. This one is one of those rare films where you must watch multiple times to get it. 

        With vibes being a source of contention for me, I feel that the film is a very esoteric art film. Where plot and story is established, but as soon as the weird starts to kick off. The former is immediately tossed out the window and stomped repeatedly on the concrete sidewalk. Most of the highlights as I mentioned is watching the crazy being amped up. I’ll give it that as well since it got me interested with Nikki and how she was going to be affected by the curse and get herself out of it. I’m glad that there’s not a villain in a traditional sense but this malevolent force that is causing the weirdness to happen. A callback from Twin Peaks, and many other references to past works that Lynch managed to get in this one. 

        With everything that I’ve typed down, you can assume that I don’t like weird, or just not vibing to the movie as originally intended. Be it as it may, I feel that I can appreciate the director for being unconventional with his approach. Like, I don’t want to turn my brain off to just “get” the film. I feel better knowing that my time is invested with watching a character overcome something than just going with the abstract imagery. What excels with me is when Lynch does his motifs subtly. When he has total reign where he is a maestro is when he loses me. This is the one film where any Lynch aficionado would spent their life deciphering the inner meaning of it. 

2. David Lynch

        Eight films is what it took to not personally talk about the director. Sure, I talked about his past, inspirations and method to his madness. Having watched a good chunk of his films made me appreciate him more as an artist. He went to do what he wanted with no studio head breathing down on him. To me, he’s the inspiration for any filmmaker that has the talent to be an artist and a filmmaker. He did paintings prior to picking up the camera and directing. He’s unconventional, but only when people see out of context clips of him in any interview or video. 

        The man is complex since he interprets things that only he could. No one could interpret what Eraserhead means without knowing that it’s about parenthood, and how it’s possibly about his moment becoming a father. I say possibly because he was not one to indulge any interviewer or anyone about what his films mean when someone is trying to understand it. There’s ways to go about it, but only Lynch is the one that can be cheeky enough to get away with it. Any other director can make films that are generally weird as his but aren’t talent enough to utilize everything to be weird. 

        With his interpretations in his films, the key thing that I think is important is seeing the muck/grime underneath the supposed clean thing. Meaning that, while everything looks nice and dandy from the outside. There’s something that is the true face of the subject in his films. I’ve only noticed it in his films like Blue Velvet and afterwards. I feel that he was pushing the envelope to make people uncomfortable by showing the true face of something that is not what they think is representative of the status quo. He’s an artist alright, and it’s always bold to go against the grain that has become the MO for any filmmaker to just have a career. 

3. Legacy

        So what else can be said about this film and it’s director? To me, I remember the very first time that I was exposed to him. It was in the Steven Spielberg film The Fabelmans where he portrayed John Ford in the final moments of the movie. Just when his face appeared is when I heard chattering in the audience asking if it was him. From there, I saw a montage of his behind the scenes and other interviews which gave me an unconventional look to him. I guess you can say that I was ignorant since I didn’t sat down and watch his films earlier. 

        His death surprised me, and I felt it was an obligation to at least dedicate a season’s worth of his films to expose to anyone who is interested or to get an idea of who the man was. While I bungled it, I didn’t anticipate my personal life affecting my viewing schedule. Rest assured that I will finish out his remaining two films. I feel that for any film buff or anyone that is interested in the medium and want to experiment, this is the director that delivers on such the endeavor. New filmmakers should embrace his approach but be smart and disciplined on how to balance between the normal and the absurd. 

4. Overall

        Inland Empire is one of the most divisive films that I’ve seen. For Lynch fans, it’s one of the essential viewings to marathon. 

Mulholland Drive Review

        I think of all the David Lynch film’s I’ve seen so far in this summer, Mulholland Drive might be up there as my favorite of the director. And it seems to be that way with a consortium of critics when compiling a list of the greatest films of the 2000s. Out of all the ranked lists that I’ve read has this and Blue Velvet as the top tier films of the director. Little did I know that this is the middle film of the so called “LA Trilogy” of films where David Lynch shot Lost Highway, this one and Inland Empire. I love this film so let’s get down to it. 

1. Betty and Rita

        Just before we talk about the film, I wasn’t aware that Mulholland Dr. was initially pitched as a TV show. Much like Twin Peaks, it was supposed to be another Lynchian mystery with a woman with amnesia set in Hollywood. I’d assume that Lynch wouldn’t want to do another show after going through what happened with Twin Peaks. Inevitably, he shot the initial pilot of the show but it wasn’t picked up by the network. Reading from the sources, it can be inferred that the whole movie was supposed to be stretched had it been a show. 

        With that, we follow an unnamed woman who is in a limo. A car crash occurs where she escapes from the wreckage and goes into the streets of Los Angeles. She hides in an apartment as she tries to hide from someone. Meanwhile, we follow an up-and-coming actress named Betty as she arrives and has a positive attitude over her potential outlooks. It reminds me a lot of the first A Star Is Born as Naomi Watts character has that mentality. From there, she meets the woman in her apartment who goes by the name “Rita”. 

        Much like Blue Velvet before, Betty takes it upon herself to help “Rita” identify who she really is and why she was involved in a crash. I really like the overall story and chemistry between the two women. Betty is a very active character in terms of figuring out the mystery involving Rita. So much so that she uses it as an excuse to explore Hollywood since she’s attempting to land some auditions. That’s not to say that Rita is a blank slate and is just there. Far from the truth, she’s as interested in figuring out who she is. 

        One may think that she’s a complicit or a femme fatale for some gangsters. Well, more to the story is that there’s a director named Adam who’s being hounded by a group of mobsters to hire a specific actress. I felt that their inclusion to the plot didn’t really connect to what’s going on with the two women. Specifically, when in one moment where we see Adam directing that he and Betty lock eyes for a few moments. To infer to us that they have an attraction or something peculiar. 

        I don’t know if talking about one aspect of the film would be beneficial or what. I feel that if I don’t, I wouldn’t do the film justice. With the level of Lynchian aspects it was kept to a minimum, until near the end of the film. That’s when the movie probably has the best example of the “it was all a dream” trope. And what I mean by that is there’s an object that Rita initially has until Betty takes it to observe it. When she opens it makes the movie from ten to an 11. Just the whole twist where the character dynamics is switched along with the situations makes the whole film interesting in a story. 

        I feel that this is the perfect way to do a Lynchian approach without it being too vague or abstract that would be detrimental to the overall film. It’s often time said the subtle way is the right way since it’s apparent that the story is taken to a new angle. Almost everything makes sense with the subplot involving the director and when two characters are at a diner. That specific scene was weird since they’re both talking about a dream and of a mysterious monster that scares one of them. Lo and behold when it shows up just behind the restaurant is when of the men falls in total shock. 

2. Hollywood

        The more I think about it, I feel that the film is sort of like a spiritual successor to an old Film Noir movie called Sunset Boulevard. I talked about that one many moons ago, albeit it’s one of my favorite films if you were going to ask me. Most of them deal with the cutthroat nature that is the Hollywood system. With the old film, it has it where the system throws away old stars and continually uses by the number stories. Familiar as it is, the film was the first to both call out and lampoon the system that isn’t for everyone. 

        With Mulholland Dr., it’s clear that it uses another street name but goes about the whole Hollywood angle in a unique way. For one thing, I feel that it’s totally on par with how Lynch is creative with this approach. I feel that Adam the director is a sort of stand in for Lynch when being confronted to pick specific actors instead of the ones that have become regulars or beloved to him. More so that he’s aware of the inner workings of the whole thing that the representation is where the restaurant monster pops in. It’s the muck or the actual representation of how a struggling actor/actress tries to succeed in Hollywood. 

        One scene specifically is probably my favorite in the whole film. Both Betty and Rita go to this club called Club Silencio. The duo see a performance, but one where the whole acting/singing of it is fake. Since the sound has been recorded prior and to only see the real-life singer Rebekah Del Rio lip-synch to the song. Part of it feels real since, it is her voice being projected as she’s “singing”. There are even moments where we see the duo be closer and more emphasis placed on Betty. I don’t know if Rebekah falling was planned, but it makes me interested in seeing her performance more. Little did I know that she passed away, but her performance is easily one of the best parts in the film. 

3. Overall

        Mulholland Drive is one of David Lynch’s best films and one of the best films of the 2000s. 

The Straight Story Review

        Out of the films that David Lynch directed in the 90s, I feel that this is his best in the decade. Now when glancing at the poster or just watching a good five minutes of the film, it doesn’t resemble any Lynch film of the past. No sense of oddity or supernatural, not even a hint of dread that is creeping up in some fashion. In some ways, this is probably his only work where it’s practically normal. He even declared that this film is his most experimental. Either he was trolling the press or maintained his quirky nature to sell the film to his following. 

1. Alvin’s Odyssey 

        Before I begin with my assessment, I want to state that this film and the past one that I’ve talked about are based/inspired on actual accounts. Where I failed to mention in my look at Lost Highway is that the gist of the film is about the director’s reactions to the O.J. Simpon trial and aftermath. I want to apologize if you feel that I didn’t give much thought to the film. I’ll say that the film didn’t give me much to talk about even though it has the trademark Lynch weirdness, but I didn’t go and do my diligence to offer some more background on the film.

        With this film, you can say that it strays so far from what David Lynch is known for. Having had a summer marathon of nearly all his films, it’s like a whiplash where you’re expecting some oddity, but the weirder aspect is the mode of transportation that the character uses. The film is loosely based on an actual account that happened in the decade. One of Lynch’s collaborators read about the account via The New York Times. So much so that she and another writer co-wrote the script to which Lynch decided to direct it. 

        We follow Alvin Straight as he lives in Iowa, he gets word from his daughter that his brother had a stroke in Wisconsin. Due to his age and not having a license, Alvin decides to use his mower as his mode of transportation to see his brother. That’s the plot in it’s form, and one would think how would you tell a story with that premise. Somehow, Lynch managed to craft an interesting story about the man and his journey. It’s a road movie for starters, a genre in of itself where the journey is important to the narrative. And one where the characters are changed during the whole process. 

        With this film, we see just who Alvin is. He’s an elderly man who’s living with his daughter Rose. Out of all the cast, Sissy Spacek is the only recognizable name among the ensemble. I feel that it was intentional to hire some nonrecognizable actors as far as making the film more believable. Having someone who’s well known or younger to appeal to a broader demographic would’ve hampered the film and deem it unrealistic for some. And having the film be placed in the Mid-American area like Iowa and Wisconsin is a far cry from the locales that we’ve seen of Lynch’s film. 

        The main highlight of the film is seeing Straight on his odyssey. Seeing him on his mower with his stuff hitched to it is interesting. There’s a moment I like where in the beginning, Alvin is on a farm road and the camera pans up to the sky. When the shot resets back on the road, it’s like he hasn’t moved from where we see the mowers initially. And I say mowers because he rides on two, the remainder is when he’s riding on a John Deere mower. In one way, I feel it’s a commercial to the brand and to the mower since it’s reliable. 

        Alvin’s characterization is one where he is defined by his stubbornness to fulfill his journey. He’s set on his way to go see his brother. Even being invited by a camp formed by a group of cyclists. I like that with a film that is very casual as far as the situation, there are moments where Alvin encounters obstacles on his journey. When the semi-trucks pass him by is when I get nervous. One instance where a car passes him by, and when we hear it swerve. For a moment that he was going to be set back. We just get a glimpse of a woman who’s stark raving mad of what she accidentally ran over. 

        Before I talk about the bigger theme of the film, I must talk about the side characters that we see. In the middle of the journey, Alvin’s mower encounters problems. I like that there’s a group of people that are willing to help him out. I think it captures the small-town selfless service mentality that I think is lacking nowadays. One named Danny goes above and offers him shelter. So much so, to even drive him to where he’s going. Even though the character has a small screen time, it’s the impression and the action that makes the side-character memorable. 

2. Past Regrets

        Aside from seeing the man on his journey, I feel that in one way the film has the theme of regret spread out in the film. In the beginning moments, we see Rose look out of the window and sees a kid with his ball. And moments where we see Alvin conversate with the people that he encounters with his odyssey. The moments indicate that to us that Rose wants something or is fondly remembering a past moment. For a film that is casual as I stated earlier, there’s bits of sadness that’s imbued in it. 

        With Rose, we learn from Alvin that she’s mentally handicapped and had her children taken away from her by the state. The way that Alvin explains it to who he’s talking to just sells it with the conviction that he lost part of his family. It’s heartbreaking I believe and Richard Farnsworth sells the acting part of it. There are other moments where Alvin is speaking to the other people, one is a runaway young woman who’s pregnant. I like the conversation between the two and stress that family is important in the grander scheme. 

        With the conversations that Alvin has with the people he meets, he also harbors some guilt to. We learn that he’s a veteran and he must live with an action that he did by accident. In some way, a viewer can interpret the whole journey that Alvin is doing as a rite of passage. Or some repentance of past mistakes by going through the arduous journey to see his brother. It’s very unorthodox but having Farnsworth portray Alvin as stubborn and repentant makes it more interesting to see if he’ll last to see his brother.

        One more thing is that it’s unfortunate that the actual man didn’t live long to see his story come to life. He passed away just three years before the movie came out in 1999. Even as his trek became an intrigue in the public. He didn’t want to be interviewed by the Late-Night hosts of the time. What’s more honorable is that he didn’t want the fame or the money when he was visiting his brother. So much so, he didn’t get the guaranteed money after his story was about to be adapted to film. 

3. Overall

        The Straight Story is one of the best Lynch films and one of the best films of the 90s, particularly in 1999.

Lost Highway Review

        There’s really no other way to describe David Lynch’s seventh film. Not that it was way too abstract with what was being presented. Or with it being a mish mash of some freaky imagery or the sort. I think this is the one where I was completely lost with what it was trying to get at. Mind you, I typed in notes as I was watching the movie. Although I feel it was a futile since the characters switched and I have no idea as to why. Perhaps supernatural or something that Lynch wasn’t too keen to explain. 

1. Fred and Pete

        Plot wise the first minutes are easy to grasp since we see what’s going on. A saxophonist named Fred gets a mysterious video tape in the front of his door. Both he and his girlfriend Renee watch it and deduce that someone is stalking them, as the footage shows the front of the house. Subsequent tapes reveal more as the interior is shown and their own bedroom. At a party, Fred is confronted by a man who’s face is entirely clean shaven and tells him that he’s at his house. The musician snaps as he kills his girlfriend and is then sentenced to death.

        This is where we switch from perspectives. Instead of following Fred, we now follow a new character named Pete who’s an auto mechanic. And for awhile, I feel sort of lost as to why we switch to a completely different character. Compounding it is that this other woman that he sees looks exactly like Fred’s. Like, his story is getting involved with a shady man and his girlfriend. Pete does some favors for him and he’s rewarded. 

        Now, this isn’t to say that the film falls apart from the story with what’s going on. And I get the feeling that this is supposed to be a about the sexual frustration of the man who feels alienated about not being good enough. Like, we see that both of the men are attracted by the girl’s in their lives, but feel that they are inadequate. Like, Fred is confronted that Renee has been sleeping with other men. And with Pete feeling dejected about his girl but going after another one who’s way more attractive. 

        I think where the lines blur between the characters is that in some interpretation both Fred and Pete are the same person. I can acknowledge that understanding since it’s partially backed up in the beginning of the film. As Fred talks to the local detectives and he explains the situation and why he hates the video recorders. Stating that he likes to remember things his way and wanting to think that it did happen how he initially saw it. More so that in some moments with Pete, we see flashes like lightning strikes that obscure some shots when Pete is in his home or elsewhere. 

        The Mystery Man whose been appearing whenever Fred/Pete are in somewhere specifically is a genuinely freaky person. Just his whole face is uncanny since he doesn’t have any eyebrows and when he meets Fred, he has a smile like a mocking one to him. I feel that he’s supposed to be the personification of death, since he carries a camera on him when we’re in Pete’s point of view. Like, he’s there to be mocking the men that we follow and punctuating it further as he records just how vulnerable they really are. 

        One last thing is the soundtrack that I want to talk about. Lynch must’ve liked the industrial sounding rock music that was pervasive in the 90s. Little did I realize that Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails would help with the soundtrack. It would be years later that he and Atticus Ross would compose and produce other soundtracks for films like The Social Network. Anyways, I like the music that was presented. It felt it was communicating the darkness and anger that we see that Fred/Pete are dealing with. Just refreshing that it wasn’t going for the top songs of the time, but some that fit with the tone and making the most musically inclined Lynch film that I’ve seen. 

2. Vibes and Story

        When discussing David Lynch, it’s really one thing where I don’t want to be too hard on him with how he made his films. Of course, he made a career with going against the mainstream mold of making commercially accepting films for the masses. His whole filmography practically has a cult following with dedicated fans that like the avant-garde nature to them. Like, his films sync up with the people that don’t want to go with what everyone else is doing. And I like some of his films where there’s at least an understanding of what’s going on. 

        With this film, I feel that it’s one of the problems that I have with it. How I would try to explain what didn’t work with me is that I feel that it’s leaning more towards the vibe of the film instead of telling a compelling story. I would want to at least understand the characters that we’re following instead of following a what’s going on that is seemingly trippy or just off putting. Perhaps it’s a problem with me and I should at least appreciate what’s going on and not think too hard of it. 

        I feel that it shouldn’t be the way to approach a movie. Having to rely on just what the tone and what the overall feeling is shouldn’t be an outlier to cover up a potentially messy film. I would have liked the film had it been more engaging and be more impactful with what it was doing with the two protagonists. Just the vagueness of how it’s presented and without any potential need to look it up to understand it, I feel that it’s the rare weaker films of David Lynch. Now, there can be subtlety with the execution, but I believe that it’s amplified where it can be a turn off to some. 

3. Overall

        Lost Highway is one of the weaker films of the director, only essential if you want to marathon the whole filmography. 

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Review

        You’ve probably guessed once again that I skipped over another David Lynch film. You can already say that this whole initiative isn’t doing the late director any favors as I accidentally skipped over two of his movies. I want to apologize for the slight hiccup, although this isn’t something where I wasn’t expecting from the beginning. I was unaware that both films would be out of print and unavailable to rent digitally or stream. Compounding it, is that I have a limited amount of funds to hunt down a used copy on eBay. Rest assured that I will cover the two films, but I strongly advocate that all movies should be available to stream by any means. 

1. Twin Peaks

        We’ve already covered partially David Lynch’s work. It’s always interesting to see the progression of the director to see the highs and lows of his career. Little did I know that he also had a hand in television. From the start of the decade, Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost created the show Twin Peaks for ABC. A detective story that, keeping in line with what David Lynch is known for, is a surreal detective story about finding a killer who murdered a young woman in a sleepy town known as Twin Peaks. 

        The show was a critical darling and was a record breaker in terms of how many people watched the show. The unfortunate part is that the show in its initial run only had two seasons. Due to pressure from the channel wanting to reveal the mystery killer and Lynch’s insistence of his vision caused the show to be cancelled. Albeit that was one of the key reasons, there were more due to the quirky nature of the show and how it was completely unorthodox to the casual viewer who were turned off by the many Lynch motifs. I personally haven’t seen the show but will talk about the film just on its merits. 

        It would be years after the fact that the show would return through Showtime. The third season dubbed “The Return” continued the storyline of finding the killer and expanding its scope from just a mystery. To say that the show didn’t influence any new show isn’t true since there were others that were inspired by the weirdness of the program. You have shows like The X-Files and True Detective that were inspired by Twin Peaks and owe the show some credit to having an unorthodox narrative approach. Usually, I’d talk about this info in the Legacy tab, but I’ve decided to get everyone up to speed with what the show is all about and its impact on television.

        The movie on the other hand, is a prequel of events that led up to the first episode of the show. And I was surprised to read that the film was met derisively by critics and even some fans of the show. Digging deeper, a lot of people thought that the movie would be a continuation after Season 2. Immediately, the content that the movie presented was such a turn off that some had felt that it was way too ambitious of a project and that it would’ve just been left alone. I’ll admit that I was lost since the quirky nature of the director weirded me out, but I see this film as a steppingstone to the series. 

2. Laura Palmer’s Demise

        So yeah, the premise of the show is that we follow FBI Agent Cooper as he investigates the death of Laura Palmer and it’s links to the town of Twin Peaks. The film is what we see prior to Cooper’s involvement as we see the life of Laura before her death. Just prior to that, we see a preceding storyline that follows two other Agents investigating a death. I felt that we get a small dose of the supernatural element as both Agents gradually disappear from their investigation. I felt that the beginning section was kind of pointless since the whole story is supposed to be about the girl in question.  

        We see Laura as she’s the seemingly typical girl in Twin Peaks as she goes to school and meeting up with her friend. What is surprising is that she breaks that stereotypical mold as she snorts drugs and is a prostitute. Not to mention that she gets abused by this demonic manifestation named BOB. Stick with me here, I know that this is weird but that’s only because it is David Lynch we’re talking about. What I will say that this is a continuation of sorts from Lynch’s Blue Velvet as he highlights the muck under the seemingly normal. 

        With this film, we see that Laura isn’t a good person but is doing all these things because of what’s been going on with her. This film is a character story but one where we see the events that are leading up to her demise. It’s one thing to make a prequel be engaging is that it must really sell the characters that we’re following. Like, for anyone who watches a prequel of an existing series, it’s a thing where seeing the prequel end and where the initial storyline picks up has to feel earned. 

        Aside from everything that Laura is doing as far as her vices, what I really like about her whole character is that she's has some goodness in the inside where she doesn't want anyone to follow in her footsteps. There's one moment that I like where she and some associates are at a bar. Laura's friend Donna follows her and immediately copies what she's doing. Being abused and having her drink spiked, makes Laura want to leave with her. I especially love it when she tells Donna to not follow in her footsteps. It's like she's dealing with this internal trauma and doesn't want her friend to be a part of it.  

        One example I can think of on how not to do a prequel is the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Where that storyline details the fall of the Jedi and the rise of Darth Vader. What makes those movies not work is that the characters aren’t engaging and the tragic fall of one Jedi feels rushed more than anything. Although the animated series kind of rectifies the mistakes of the trilogy, I feel that it’s more of a band aid covering an open wound. This film makes everything that we see engaging where we get to see Laura prior to her death.

        My apologies, so yeah my point is that seeing Laura do these actions and the malevolent force terrorizing her makes her demise more tragic since she’s not an active character where she can’t change her fate. It gives us a clear idea of who she was and making her death tragic as we see that Agent Cooper is connected to her supernaturally speaking. I’ll elaborate more on that motif, but making a good prequel must make the characters engaging to make the initial series more engaging. 

3. Red Room and the Surreal

        It wouldn’t be a David Lynch movie had he not included any recurring motif of the unnatural and weird. This is probably the first instance of Lynch going full throttle with the surreal since there is an evil manifestation that kills Laura and another woman named Teresa. I feel that with how it’s handled is keeping in line with the show, because with how quirky the first two seasons are. This movie is like an opposite where we see a mean spirited approach to the surreal. All of it is horrifying to Laura as she doesn’t know what this manifestation wants and why it’s targeting her. 

        There’s many interpretations as to what the Red Room is and the inhabitants are there for, but I like to think that the Red Room is sort of like a purgatory place where we see that Agent Cooper has some sense of supernatural. I also like the touch of having him looking at Laura in the end. Although, for the other stuff that is presented, I find it weird that the film has moments where there’s actual subtitles of what people are saying. Due to loud noises or the characters seemingly speaking backwards. 

        I feel that this is probably the most David Lynch thing that I’ve seen where he gets to unleash his whole creativity. While it can be confusing watching it and feeling hot when we see the abuse taking place. I will give Lynch credit that this isn’t like the show where it’s the exact same thing, but a completely different experience where we see the flipside of what made the show great. Whether intentional or not, I feel that it’s one of those rare prequels where it sets up the former show perfectly with what’s about to happen. 

4. Overall

        Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is one of David Lynch’s best and one where it’s clearly made for his fans of the show.