Hypnotic, but essentially worthless

Rating: 2/10 (21 July 2003)

Ok, Ok. I admit it, this film had me riveted from start to finish. It's hypnotic, really, and many of the images are genuinely powerful. My problem is that, while Lynch is clearly a talented director with a sense of the power of film, he wields his power irresponsibly.
What we have here is a movie that is hypnotic but essentially meaningless. And I'm not saying that it's confusing. On the contrary, as I watched, many different explanations suggested themselves to my mind. But it would be a waste of time. Lynch himself acknowledges the inherent meaninglessness of it all with a conspiratorial wink--"no hay banda." There is no band. The whole thing is just artifice.
There are those of you who will say, "But wait! I've figured the whole thing out! Just listen!" To you I simply say, "Silencio!" What about all the others who think they have everything figured out, and their interpretation is completely different than yours. And even if you've managed to figure out the "right" interpretation, what does it matter? It's still just a mind-game, a visual Rubic's cube with absolutely no insights on the human condition.
Lynch has said about his paintings that he's really just going for a reaction from his audience. And he's doing the same with his films. Well, he certainly got a reaction out of me, but who cares? What happens after I recover from my initial reaction? This film is all surface and no depth. I'll stick with Lynch's "The Elephant Man" or "The Straight Story," films where Lynch knows the power of film and uses it responsibly.