Review of Eraserhead (1977) by Greg P — 07 Jun 2010

It took me a fourth viewing to appreciate this movie completely. Coming in with the right mindset is key, and I was pretty much blown away.

I really urge people who are planning on seeing this, to not expect a traditional movie with everything plain and clear, because what needs to be understood is that this movie can't be understood...on the surface anyway. The way I enjoy this movie is as an experience of emotion and feeling. It's an amazing trip into the deepest, darkest realms of the human psyche, unlocking thoughts from a stream of subconsciousness and portraying them as distorted, symbolic, and almost hyperbolic images.

Nightmarish and surreal, the world of Henry is painted dark and bleak : the post-modern landscape almost gives a sense of an apocalyptic after world, and the hums of the surrounding industrial wasteland beats like a slow and steady drum. These things really add a lot to the themes of loneliness, depression, apprehension, and anxieties, which are vividly splattered within the awkwardness of Henry's life and impending parenthood - and therein lies the central story. It is the sense of an inferiority-complex that comes with something that is unknown to Henry, and even perhaps the dread of responsibilities that could lock him up for the rest of his life. He feels hopelessly drowned in his despair, and looks for anyway out, whether it be real or fantasy. That is just one interpretation anyway, and the beauty of this film is that there is so much open room for each viewer to make it make sense in their own way.

Horrifying, thought-provoking, original, and with an absolutely immersive atmosphere, this movie is a landmark in cinema.