It is always a difficult task to review a David Lynch film. For one, it can seem virtually impossible to summarise the plot. This has never been more true than in the case of INLAND EMPIRE (Lynch insists the film's title be capitalized), a film some have said his entire career has been leading up to a sprawling three-hour film shot on digital video.
The basic plot (but there are many more plots both connected and seemingly unconnected to the main plot) has Laura Dern playing an actress called Nikki who is cast in a remake of a haunted film (the previous cast died mysterious deaths). As she becomes more involved in the film's production and immerses herself into her role, Nikki's mind begins to unravel, and she turns into many other characters. Dern is fantastic in her role(s) and is ably supported by a strong cast including Grace Zabriskie, Harry Dean Stanton, Justin Theroux, Julia Ormond, and Jeremy Irons.
INLAND EMPIRE is not an easy film to watch or to understand. I wouldn't go quite so far as to say that it is for Lynch fans only, but being a Lynch fan would certainly help as the film feels like the director has come full circle with his career, back to the independent production of his surrealistic and experimental debut, Eraserhead. It's also chock full of subtle self-referential nods to all his films. If you're unacquainted with Lynch, I would certainly recommend that you check out some of his other films before this one - 2001's Mulholland Drive may be helpful as an introduction.
It may leave you scratching your head. You may find it impenetrable. But one thing is for sure INLAND EMPIRE will tease, torment and teach you with its multi-faceted and multi-layered narrative. It's definitely the most innovative movie of the last few years, a complex and puzzling work of genius that's worth taking the time to try to unravel.
A quick note on the DVD: INLAND EMPIRE is available as 2-disc Special Edition. The one sold here has some interesting interviews on its second disc. But I would recommend the Region 1 (US) DVD as its production was personally overseen by Lynch himself, and it contains much more features including a further 90 minutes of deleted material!
The basic plot (but there are many more plots both connected and seemingly unconnected to the main plot) has Laura Dern playing an actress called Nikki who is cast in a remake of a haunted film (the previous cast died mysterious deaths). As she becomes more involved in the film's production and immerses herself into her role, Nikki's mind begins to unravel, and she turns into many other characters. Dern is fantastic in her role(s) and is ably supported by a strong cast including Grace Zabriskie, Harry Dean Stanton, Justin Theroux, Julia Ormond, and Jeremy Irons.
INLAND EMPIRE is not an easy film to watch or to understand. I wouldn't go quite so far as to say that it is for Lynch fans only, but being a Lynch fan would certainly help as the film feels like the director has come full circle with his career, back to the independent production of his surrealistic and experimental debut, Eraserhead. It's also chock full of subtle self-referential nods to all his films. If you're unacquainted with Lynch, I would certainly recommend that you check out some of his other films before this one - 2001's Mulholland Drive may be helpful as an introduction.
It may leave you scratching your head. You may find it impenetrable. But one thing is for sure INLAND EMPIRE will tease, torment and teach you with its multi-faceted and multi-layered narrative. It's definitely the most innovative movie of the last few years, a complex and puzzling work of genius that's worth taking the time to try to unravel.
A quick note on the DVD: INLAND EMPIRE is available as 2-disc Special Edition. The one sold here has some interesting interviews on its second disc. But I would recommend the Region 1 (US) DVD as its production was personally overseen by Lynch himself, and it contains much more features including a further 90 minutes of deleted material!