Review of Lost Highway (1997) by Tim L — 19 May 2010

Slow paced and brooding at first, with excellent us of dark and silence to build tension as your imagination fills in the gaps. It then seems to go off on a complete tangent and become a very different film at about the hour mark (about half way through) and it lost me a bit. As a big David Lynch film, I'm not expected things to make sense or follow a strict linear patten, but I guess I still often rely on some sort of hooks to hang my understanding on; it doesn't have to be in order or make sense, but I kind of need some idea of how the characters relate to each other, and on first viewing of this I find this very difficult - much more difficult that Blue Velvet or Twin Peaks for example. That is Lynch's perogative though, to confuse and often to frustrate, and to challenge you to put more effort in and ultimately to get more out as a result. I'm hoping on repeat viewings this film will grow on me, but it didn't really connect with me as much as his other films at this point.

The film seems to explore the similar aspects of identity and possession as in other Lynch films, but in quite a different way. Interesting, but not as entertaining for me as his other stuff (at least on first viewing).