REVIEW: Inland Empire

I love David Lynch. Not many filmmakers operate on his level. I put off seeing Inland Empire for quite some time now. I was trying to pick the right night, the right mood, etc. For his latest film, Inland Empire Lynch abandoned his elaborate 35mm past and embraced the technology of DV. Actually in this case he took many years with making it, so even in the time he made it, technology has improved to a point where this film looks dated tech wise. In fact if I'm not mistaken I think he used the tiny Sony PD150 DVCAM. Now if you are a big Lynch devotee as I am you are aware that Lynch is more than just a filmmaker he is a film artist and Inland takes this to a new extreme. Gone are the lush colorful wide shots of panavision and in their place are desaturated extreme close ups with handheld cameras operated most of the time by Lynch himself. Just thinking aloud for a moment maybe Lynch thought to himself that he had pushed the boundaries of his previous style that it was time to go the opposite direction. Style wise he has succeeded, content wise we are back in very Lynchian territory. And thank the Lord for that!



Inland focuses on an actress, Laura Dern who is cast in a film with a handsome leading man in a film they believe is an original screenplay. During the making of the film they learn that the film is in fact a remake of a Polish film that was never completed because the the two leads were murdered. The film was thought to have a gypsy curse attached to it. At a point Dern, enters a very familiar Lynchian dark void on the sound stage where they are filming and crosses over into a mirrored version of her reality. The film and what we believe was reality has merged. This falls into the same doppelganger style that dominated Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, and Mullholand Drive. Lost Highway is maybe my favorite Lynch film. For me it's his grim masterpiece. There are moments in Inland that really got to me. The flashlight sequence for one is quite unnerving in an erotic way that only Lynch can serve up. The music of course is always great for a Lynch film. This is without a doubt Dern's movie. Supporting cast includes Jeremy Irons, Harry Dean Stanton, and Grace Z. Lynch again does his own sound design, and the DVD gives you multiple mix options to enjoy.



Inland Empire is a way too long though. It's never boring mind you, but you feel like as with this new DV technology he's pushing he also pushed the boundaries of its running time. And that's too bad because he paints a very wonderful idea here. I was very excited being a fan of DV that Lynch was doing this. But during it there were shots made for film. Dark voids and whatnot don't look good on video. I was longing for some 35mm or better grade of DV in the form of HD. I think other filmmakers like Mike Figgis have transitioned to video a little better. Inland has its own style and mood, and you either accept it or don't. I enjoyed the ride and can't wait for what's next for Mr. David Lynch.