Review of Blue Velvet (1986) by Manicure — 22 Nov 2020

David Lynch's singular take on coming-of-age movies plays on the contrast of the sugar-coated idealized suburban town and the dark, twisted world that lies beneath. It's a film that is rich in metaphors and suggestive film noir-reminiscent shots, but at the same time rather poor and half-baked in terms of contents. The plot only vaguely elaborates on Jeffrey's fascination for Dorothy's world and the effect she has on him. Their sadomasochistic relationship gets just roughly sketched out, and there is no real consequence for what happens. Come on, it literally took one single phone call to forgive Jeffrey and have him reborn as the new hero. Isabella Rossellini was visually good for the role but her acting was unbearable.

The scenes with Frank and his gang were fairly entertaining, but overall the film lacks the edginess and transgressiveness that it needed. It might have been disturbing enough for conservative viewers in 1986, but feels a bit goofy now in 2020.

It's indeed an interesting work to take into examination inside Lynch's filmography as the same concept and atmosphere will be later reprised and revised in "Twin Peaks".