The Exonian Reviews: David Lynch Inland Empire
By AMERSON LIANG and LEVI STOLL
A woman walks through a dimly lit green hallway illuminated by shallow electric candles lining the walls at head level. She turns the corner, her disheveled, dirty-blond hair whips around as she turns, pistol in hand. She wears office attire, a blazer and slacks. The creases in her face deepen as she creeps through the halls. The scene is nearly silent, and the theater is dark. A door appears in an alcove of the hallway; turning her head, piano keys are rapidly hit, faster as she looks closer. She sees the number 47 on the door in gold; the notes transition to a crescendo of prolonged organ notes. Then, from the other side of the hallway, a silhouette emerges, coming into the light: an older man, sweaty, wearing a brown sweater, as the discordant screech hits a climax. She raises her gun and fires directly at him. A loud bang reverberates through the halls, but he continues forward, unharmed. She shoots again, and again, her expression fades into anguish. He looks at her with a sense of relaxation, bright white light shining on his face. The camera cuts back to the woman, drawing her head back. Suddenly, the man’s face becomes a distorted version of hers, her blue eyes pointed and wide, her mouth taking up most of his head, and her teeth barred in a grotesque smile. Another shot, “BANG,” her gun recoiling in slo-mo. Screeches and an amalgam of music plays, transitioning to slow piano. The man’s face has descended into more distortion, its eyes and mouth black cavities, with red pouring out of the deep chasm where its teeth once were.
This is a scene from David Lynch’s “Inland Empire,” in which the rising tension of the movie reaches a climax. David Lynch was known for the critically acclaimed 2001 film, “Mulholland Drive,” and the hit 1990 TV show “Twin Peaks” which he directed alongside Mark Frost. He also wrote each of these works, giving them his signature surreal style, known as “Lynchian”. Debuting with the 1977 surrealist horror film “Eraserhead,” Lynch quickly rose to prominence in the avante-garde community. After directing the 1980 biopic “The Elephant Man,” Lynch was even asked by George Lucas to direct “Return of the Jedi,” passing it up to write an adaptation of “Dune” by Frank Herbert, which was a commercial failure. He found a foothold in Hollywood with the neo-noir film “Blue Velvet “and the mystery-drama “Twin Peaks,” which gained a cult following. Pervading through every one of these pieces were certain themes: the contrast of the ordinary with the extraordinary strange, the unnerving evil hidden in normal life. In an increasingly homogenous film industry, David Lynch broke the norms with each of his works. Lynch passed away on January 15 of this year.
After his passing, us writers decided to delve into his last film, “Inland Empire,” which was released in 2008. “Inland Empire” is known as Lynch at his wildest, unrestrained by any monetary concerns. The movie is filmed on a handheld Sony camcorder, giving the video a distinctly blurry yet realistic quality, zoomed in on characters’ faces for at least a tenth of the movie. Inland Empire develops the Lynchian style by asking the question: “What is reality?” We never seem to find the answer as the movie progresses into a dreamlike state, experimenting with the essence of a film — its audience. The fourth wall is broken multiple times, only to be closed by yet another wall, as characters find themselves trapped in a movie of their own making. Non-consecutive scenes follow after each other, and tension slowly builds. Despite the vicious spirit of the film, one of our writers found themselves elated after viewing it. They can only attribute this to the cathartic ending of the film, emphasizing that it has to be experienced firsthand. You heard it here first, folks: Go watch Inland Empire if you think you are brave enough.
