Review of Inland Empire (2006) by Marco R — 12 Jan 2009

I know that David Lynch's films can be confusing. I've heard people say that they don't get Mulholland Drive because of the role reversals halfway though the movie, and the random cowboy, etc.

I have learned to just suspend my idea of what's rational when watching a Lynch film and just go for the ride. However, Inland Empire makes no sense. Every scene involves a role reversal, and random lines are spoken.

I did see a theme of the fairy tale told in the first scene -- a girl that goes to the market, then finds herself in an alley that only brings her trouble. Otherwise it's a mess of the usual Lynch archetypes: blonds verses brunettes, whores verses virgins, awkwardness, confusion, role reversals, and lack of control.

In the end it's a movie I admit I must watch a few more times to fully appreciate. But his films normally excite me more in the first watch.