Product: Hotel Room [VHS] (1993)
Rating: 5.0
A Dark Treasure
This obscure work by David Lynch, made shortly after the collapse of Twin Peaks and the strange prequel/coda Fire Walk with Me, is brilliant piece of television. It could have been a series if David Lynch had wanted to continue working on it but instead he left it at three episodes. The mind-warping events that occur in the same hotel room in three different time periods all have their particular flavor and tone. They work toward a whole that is as brilliant as anything Lynch has done. If by any chance you are somebody reading this and not familiar with David Lynch's work then you would be well-advised to tread to this territory with an open mind. There are no fancy and/or clever plot twists here, you have to be patient to be rewarded by this work. It should be mentioned that this is obviously a made-for-TV production. If you expect this to be a movie, you will lose focus because of how disjointed the mini-series (which is what this really is) plays with you.The first of the three episodes takes place in the 1969 and is a great bit of dark cosmic coincidence bringing in themes of guilt and destiny. Confounding and familiar, playful and depressing. The second episode is a lighter tone and not directed by David Lynch. It takes place in modern day (1992) and captures the feeling of that late 80s, early 90s yuppie love in all its contradictions but love nonetheless. The final episode takes place in 1936 is a cathartic, soulful story of a couple stuck in a blackout waiting for an important phone. Together they reminisce about the troubles they endured in almost perfect dark. It is a tour de force of filmmaking and achieves astounding heights with a minimal amount of set-up. It is strategically placed as the last episode to bring the viewer closer to the time-stretch happening right before their very eyes.This VHS tape is the only way to access this amazing work. It is a dark treasure since it is not consumer television and not easy to digest. It requires astuteness in viewing because David Lynch is constantly playing with the audience here, even (especially) when it's not him behind the camera. You can find all three episodes on YouTube so if you want to watch it, check it out there. If you want to have a vintage product that is something altogether different then spend a couple bucks and get this used because it's surely worth it.