Almost beyond words

Rating: 10/10 (29 January 2006)

As any follower of David Lynch's films may already know, his films are sometimes a little hard to follow. One of his more recent efforts, Lost Highway, was perhaps his most unrepentantly perplexing film to date. Following from the much more straightforward (no pun intended) The Straight Story, came this, an aborted TV series pilot - a companion piece to his earlier Twin Peaks if you will - finished off and rounded out to become his surreal masterpiece.
It hardly seems worthwhile trying to summarise the narrative or plot, but suffice to say it concerns a matter of missing identity, an actress new to Hollywood, a director under pressure and a string of dreams and secrets. By no means a film for all tastes, it is nevertheless intangibly brilliant - even though on first viewing you may be completely confused as to what you saw, it is impossible to deny the skill with which it was made and the power that several sequences hold.It is Lynch's sure hand that guides you, reassuring you that even if it makes no sense or it goes over your head, it still all works, thanks to canny, pitch-perfect performances and a series of icons and symbols which recur at key moments.
In many ways, the film is a puzzle box, doubling back on itself and shuffling between realms, leaving traces of the truth, but no clear answers. And where the film succeeds beyond description is in atmosphere. There are moments that will have you close to tears, even though you won't know why exactly. Others will have you terrified, though lost. It is worth mentioning that there are moments of pure erotica here as well, both beautiful and raw.
When all is said and done, the film exists in a field separate from most others, leaving not just a distinct experience, but a sound and a style, nearly a taste all of its own. Lynch has created a vision that only makes sense in the realm of a dream - a realm where things do not necessarily follow on from one another, nor do they at first fit together, but taken as a whole leave you with a sense of the emotions and feelings of those involved.
Upon repeat viewings, there are noticeable details that help fill in some of the blanks and having seen it several times now, I view the film - by the time it has ended - as a harsh satire of human selfishness and cruelty and greed. But a brilliantly acted and gorgeously shot one, quite unlike anything else I've seen. For anyone looking for something provocative, daring, different or just wanting to sink their teeth into a mystery, I cannot recommend this film highly enough.