Eraserhead (1977)
Eraserhead
”A man's fling leads to marriage and a bizarre, wailing lizard-like baby in a bleak apartment.”
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Why watch this film?
With a production that was delayed for years due to a constant lack of funds, "Eraserhead" (also known as "Draft Head" or its original title) premiered in 1977, becoming a favorite of the American underground circuit and, at the same time, one of the most powerful and distinctive film debuts. In retrospect, everything that would define David Lynch's later filmography was already present in his first movie, from his twistedly distorted vision of American domestic life to the surreal narrative logic we would see in later works such as "Mulholland Drive" or the "Twin Peaks" series. And like any good Lynch work, the story is far away from both definitive answers and single readings, with explanations ranging from metaphors about human reproduction to anxiety about sex or parenthood. Without a doubt, this is the ideal starting point to approach the director's filmography, as an alternative to the subsequent (less surreal) "Blue Velvet".
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Plot summary
Henry resides alone in a bleak apartment surrounded by industrial gloom. When he discovers that an earlier fling with Mary X left her pregnant, he marries the expectant mother and has her move in with him. Things take a decidedly strange turn when the couple's baby turns out to be a bizarre lizard-like creature that won't stop wailing. Other characters, including a disfigured lady who lives inside a radiator, inhabit the building and add to Henry's troubles.
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From the same director
Blue Velvet
It is impossible to classify David Lynch's filmography into specific concepts and definitions, and it is extremely difficult to determine which of his films is the ideal starting point to dive into it. But this starting point could be 'Blue Velvet', perhaps the one that most concentrates his aesthetic and thematic interests in a more digestible, though no less strange and disturbing way. Just like 'Twin Peaks' would do years later, 'Blue Velvet' proposes a Dantesque journey to the dark depths of the American way of life, behind the facade of peaceful neighborhoods with white fences, colorful gardens and united families, a direct and bold look at all the dirt that lies beneath the roses.
What Did Jack Do?
Anyone who knows David Lynch's films knows that his style is instantly recognizable and, at the same time, unclassifiable and hard to describe. The filmmaker has also not made a feature since 'Inland Empire' in 2006, so any new work, however brief, is welcome by his fans. Filmed in 2016 and presented for the first time at the Festival of Disruption (curated by Lynch himself) in 2017, 'What Did Jack Do?' is a peculiar short film that brings back the same strange and absurd style that characterizes the director, similar to his first film 'Eraserhead' (especially for its sinister setting and black and white photography) or the return of the acclaimed series 'Twin Peaks'. Does the plot make sense? Maybe not at first - and maybe not even on the second or third viewing. But one thing is certain: you've never seen anything like it.
The Elephant Man
Following the success in the underground circuit of his first film, the unusual and nightmarish "Eraserhead," David Lynch fell into Hollywood's radar where he got the chance to direct his second feature. Although much more traditional in narrative structure, "The Elephant Man" maintains Lynch's fascination with finding beauty in what others would say is horrifying or grotesque, among images of coldness and even decadence. The script, adapted by Lynch, Christopher De Vore and Eric Bergren, is inspired by two books (from 1923 and 1971) about the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John in the film), who suffered the most severe case of Proteus Syndrome recorded to date, interpreted with great sensitivity by the great John Hurt ("Alien: The Eighth Passenger"), which earned him an Oscar nomination for his performance. The film is also responsible for creating the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the Oscars, as the lack of recognition for the film's achievements in this area caused such indignation, that the Academy began to award the category the following year.
Wild at Heart
David Lynch (‘Dreams of Empire’) loves to play with elements and styles of classic cinema, such as noir, 1930s monster movies, and the like. In 'Wild at Heart', the filmmaker makes a kind of reinterpretation and counterpoint to the classic 'The Wizard of Oz'. To do this, he tells the story of a couple (Cage and Laura Dern) who must flee after the woman's mother hires professional assassins to kill her husband. The journey is strange and psychedelic, surrounded by traditional elements of Lynch's cinema. Cage's performance, taken to the extreme, helps to give texture to the story that, as it is being concluded, gets closer and closer to Dorothy's plot in the Land of Oz. And who would have said: together with Dern, he formed one of the most interesting couples in Lynch's filmography.
Fire (PoZar)
Among cinephiles, David Lynch is most known for movies like 'Blue Velvet' or 'Dreams, Mysteries & Secrets' (Mulholland Drive), but his most passionate fans know he is a total artist who has also ventured into acting, music, and particularly painting. ‘Fire (PoZar)’ is a short film written, directed, and drawn by him, animated by Noriko Miyakawa (who has collaborated with Lynch as an editor on projects such as his series Twin Peaks or his short film What Did Jack Do?), and scored by Marek Zebrowski (a musical collaborator who composed the music for The Empire or Inland Empire). With an ambiguous narrative of surrealistic style and a similar atmosphere to his early short films or his first feature film Eraserhead, the short film was originally presented at Lynch's Festival of Disruption in 2015, but made available for free on YouTube until 2020.
The Spider and the Bee
Few filmmakers could film a spider eating a bee and call it art. Even fewer would put that footage on the internet for general appreciation. And only David Lynch would be praised for it. That's what happened with 'The Spider and the Bee', a short film Lynch shot and released during the new coronavirus pandemic while he was self-isolating at home. Here, over 12 minutes, Lynch captures a spider in full attack mode on a bee. What could have been banal, however, becomes a chilling product with custom sound editing, giving depth to the home video. It's obviously no 'Eraserhead'. But it's still something worth noting. Available for free on YouTube.
How Was Your Day Honey?
Throughout the quarantine caused by the new coronavirus pandemic, filmmaker David Lynch has dedicated himself to shooting a series of shorts, many of them simple and experimental. But none is as abstract and experimental as 'How Was Your Day Honey?', made available for free by the filmmaker on YouTube. Here, he plays with the expression - traditionally used at the dinner table, in family, after a long day of work - with shapes, provocative music and a strange character. It is, without a doubt, a short that should bring more interpretations. But, being Lynch, obviously no one should get close to his intentions with this work. To appreciate, feel and try to understand something.
Scissors
The films of David Lynch often divide opinions: you either love them or hate them. The director has a peculiar way of adapting his ideas - bordering on nonsense and dark. 'Absurda' is disturbing and strangely captivating. It is worth noting that surrealism is present, a very common trait in Lynch's works. Those who have followed the series 'Twin Peaks' or watched 'Eraserhead' will notice the very Lynchian traces. The film is part of a collection entitled 'Cada Um com Seu Cinema', a special to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, released in 2007, which also features collaborations from other directors. At the time, the production was titled 'Absurda', but the director released the film with the name 'Scissors' on his YouTube channel - which is available to be viewed for free.
Dune
The novel 'Dune', written by Frank Herbert and published in 1965, is considered one of the most ambitious works of science fiction literature. It is a deep story that not only launched an entire book franchise, but delved into various topics ranging from environmentalism and ecology, spirituality, the Arthurian model of heroism, and colonialism in human history, among others. For its depth and breadth, it has long been considered an impossible work to adapt to the cinema, though this has not stopped filmmakers like Ridley Scott and, especially, Alejandro Jodorowsky from trying. 1984's 'Dune' was the first attempt at entering the cinema, but could hardly be called a success. Though with quite innovative visual effects for the time, it was a production with pacing and structure problems in its screenplay, an attempt to condense five hundred pages of literature into just over two hours. The film was a terrible box office flop and only achieved cult status for having attempted the impossible. In retrospect, it is unusual in the filmography of its director, David Lynch, as the only multi-million dollar megaproduction in his career after his independent debut with 'Eraserhead' and the modest 'The Elephant Man'; although it was also the film responsible for introducing him to actor Kyle MacLachlan, with whom he would have much more fruitful collaborations in 'Blue Velvet' and 'Twin Peaks'. The cast also drew attention, with talents like Patrick Stewart ('Star Trek'), Virginia Madsen ('Candyman Mystery'), musician Sting and Sean Young ('Blade Runner').
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
After the cancellation of the acclaimed TV series 'Twin Peaks' - caused by low ratings, a consequence of a decline in production quality - David Lynch returned to the world he created with Mark Frost to tell the last days in the life of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), whose murder triggers the events of the series. However, defining 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me' as a prequel would be inaccurate, since once again we have Lynch playing with the boundaries between dream and reality, past and future. Unburdened by the limitations of television, the movie is a violent psychological thriller that openly addresses the difficult themes that were only hinted at in the series, giving it a radically different tone and less comic, much more disturbing and equally captivating. Although it was panned upon its release at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival, 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me' has been reappraised as one of Lynch's best works, where themes such as corruption and perversion hidden under the beautiful facade of the American dream (as in 'Blue Velvet') recur. As an extra point, the movie is the perfect bridge between the first two seasons of the series and its acclaimed continuation, 'Twin Peaks: The Return', from 2017.
Lost Highway
After having developed -with varying success- more traditional narratives in structure with 'Wild at Heart' and 'Blue Velvet', director David Lynch returns to plunge into his surrealist and film noir influences to tell a story that, more similar to 'Eraserhead', escapes the explanations of logic and adopts a texture more similar to that of a nightmare. 'Lost Highway' (also known as 'Lost Highway' and 'Lost Highway', its original title) is a mystery that does not skimp on violence, disturbing images and disconcerting twists, but it does with the explanations. And that's okay: here what matters is the journey, not the destination. As a datum, this is Lynch's first film set in Los Angeles, followed by the narratively similar 'Mulholland Drive' in 2001, and 'Inland Empire' in 2006. Together, they are unofficially known as his 'Los Angeles Trilogy'.
Inland Empire
With totally and absolutely surreal aspirations that discard all traditional narrative logic, 'El imperio' ('Inland Empire') is, so far, the last feature-length film by David Lynch ('Eraserhead'). It is also David Lynch in his most "lynchian" mode, offering here what appears to be a story of an actress (Laura Dern) who, when submitting to filming the remake of an unfinished and supposedly cursed movie, gradually loses her contact with reality. The result is a challenging three-hour footage that follows a similar line to 'Por el lado oscuro del camino' ('Lost Highway') and 'Sueños, misterios y secretos' ('Mulholland Drive') -unofficially forming the 'Trilogía de Los Ángeles'-, interweaving various nightmarish stories whose relationships between them are abstract at best, filmed in digital video format that exalts its delirious aesthetics. Definitely it would be the worst movie for those interested in entering Lynch's filmography, although fans of the director will not only know what to expect from this feature-length film, but will also see his most ambitious, grotesque, sublime, and deliciously confusing and impenetrable work.
Horror
The Nightman
The Nightman a dramatic thriller that explores the dangerous boundary between love and darkness. The story follows a young pregnant woman who begins to question the perfection of her boyfriend upon discovering his possible involvement in mysterious disappearances and murders, linked to his sleepwalking behavior. With praised performances and precise direction, the film delves into complex themes of relationships and personal dilemmas, keeping the audience engaged in its dark suspense.
Abigail
Abigail demonstrates why we should keep an eye on the director duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, especially when they have original material at their disposal (they also directed Scream 5 and 6, with mixed results). Abigail is a film that manages to balance the terror and tragedy of its characters with the absurdity of its premise, thanks to a clever script that plays with the conventions of vampire literature, careful direction, and a phenomenal cast (led by Mexican actress Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens) that fully utilizes their roles. The plot follows a group of kidnappers tasked with a delicate job: to kidnap a millionaire's daughter for ransom. However, it all turns out to be a trap: beneath the guise of a 12-year-old girl, the victim is actually an ancient vampire who likes to play with her food. Like Ready or Not in its time, this film is self-aware, pushing its story and violence to the most absurd and fun limits without falling into self-parody. It won’t change the history of horror cinema, but it’s an excellent (and even stylish for a film of its genre, I dare say) choice for a fun time at the movies with friends.
28 Days Later
Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs – and it’s absolutely impossible to contain.
The Jack in the Box Rises
When Raven is sent to an all-girls boarding school, she unleashes a demon from a mysterious vintage jack-in-the-box hidden on the school grounds. Will the students make it out alive, or will the demon claim the victims it requires to remain alive?
