Originally released in 2006 and now presented in a brand-new 4K restoration, David Lynch‘s last directorial effort INLAND EMPIRE is back in cinemas and on home entertainment.
As this is the first viewing for me of this work, I did go into it with the same trepidation that has defined my own personal perspective of what Lynch brings to my own viewing legacy. The best of his work, THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980), BLUE VELVET (1986) and WILD AT HEART (1990) are solid structurally whilst maintaining much of Lynch’s own desirable experimental touches.
However, there are also the other offerings where it gets surreal and weird. INLAND EMPIRE in my humble opinion is the most of its’ kind in both ways, with Lynch’s own desire to truly experiment going to an even more extreme way. At three hours, for the discerning viewer, this is a genuine endurance test and don’t be surprised if you drift in and out of focus like Laura Dern‘s main protagonist.
Plot? Well, in a nutshell Dern’s character has successfully landed a part in a brand new film which unbeknownst to the director (Jeremy Irons) until they are shooting is an American remake of a Polish film that actually proved to be cursed and drove its’ participants a little mad. Inevitably, it isn’t long before Dern’s own character begins to skewer a fine and hazy line between art and reality….
…..but any plot, such as it is, is secondary to the very experimental manner and style that Lynch has employed here. The cast is impressive, with the likes of Irons, Julia Ormond, Grace Zabriskie, Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton and William H. Macy and all provide solid performances where required. If there is a positive to be drawn, INLAND EMPIRE is one of the early contemporary uses of digital camerawork alongside the likes of Michael Mann’s COLLATERAL.
Visually, the film is strong and there are some disturbing images throughout the film. It is just a shame that the cohesive narrative is shaky overall. Researching the reaction in 2006 to get a sense of comparison, INLAND EMPIRE is as decisively polarising in perspective now as it is then.
One for Lynch fans.
