Review of Eraserhead (1977) by Ohad A — 28 May 2010

Only one director, possibly one human being could ever come up with a film of this kind, and fortunately he did. If you would like to find out how surrealism is used in a film or how it feels like to be awake and look straight into some kind of dream, then you will find this interesting.

Director David Lynch tells the story of Henry (Jack Nance), a simple guy who works as a printer and lives alone. Henry's world gradually turns into a nightmare the moment he meets his girlfriend's parents.

That is when he finds out his girlfriend Mary (Charlotte Stewart) has just given birth to a premature baby. Assuming that he is the father, Henry quickly finds himself in a nightmarish situation involving a series of surreal images and bizarre events that normally would not occur.

The fear of becoming a father to the premature baby and dealing with a girlfriend who seems to have some kind of mental issue turns Henry's world upside down. By the way, the word 'premature' is an understatement in an effort to describe the baby's looks in this film.

In other words there are a few disturbing scenes to watch out for in addition to certain scenes which may seem too confusing. But the beauty of this film lies in the fact that it lets you decipher everything for yourself.

Put all the sounds and images together and come up with your own conclusion. And you know what, even if you don't manage to understand everything that occurs, it doesn't matter, it really doesn't matter; that's the strength of this masterpiece.