Review of Inland Empire (2006) by Ashley C — 20 Sep 2008

I'll say this for Lynch: no one can create the horrific from the mundane quite like he.

I've been a Lynch fan for almost 20 years, going back to the time that I rented Blue Velvet when I was 16 and, to my mother's consternation, watched it three times in one weekend. I've seen every film of his since in its theatrical run and, even if I didn't quite grok what was going on in the first viewing, I could always at least get a sense of the themes that were in play. No such luck here. Perhaps it's due to the late hour, but the closest thing to an analysis I can muster is far too dependent on the phrase "dream logic" to be anything but a cop-out. Three stars for its effectiveness as a nightmare. More if I ever figure out what that nightmare is about.