Review of Eraserhead (1977) by Mia H — 22 May 2013

I wanted to enjoy this film, and I think if it had been a short I would have. If all film lies on the spectrum between art and entertainment, this one sits firmly on the art end. Special interest films like this are always tricky: at what point does something stop being masterful and start becoming pretentious? I think in this case, neither the film or Lynch fall into the pretentious category, but I cannot say the same for many of the films followers.

I think it primarily caters to two groups of people: the small minority who can honestly sit through 100 minutes of incredibly alternative theatre and actually enjoy it, and everyone else who rates it highly, who really just like to think of themselves as belonging to the first group.

I think films like this have a place in the world... but perhaps a feature was just too long.