Review of Lost Highway (1997) by Mrkwando — 19 Jan 2016

I've been hankering to see this one again. I think it might be better even, overall, than Blue Velvet, though the latter is undeniably more straightforward. I guess I understand why the "dream" comparisons seem to be frequently invoked when talking about Lynch and "Lost Highway," but if you know anything about Lynch's methods he doesn't particularly lean toward dreams or dream imagery. Rather, as I understand it, he just gets these ideas in his mind and he doesn't censor himself, so the starting material is different because he's never coming from the too typical place of just trying to come up with a movie premise that people might like. And then, when he starts putting his ideas together, he doesn't allow conventions and commercial concerns lead him astray, he stays true to his vision and he is one of the few who can get away with that.

This film was the first to deal with the idea of a transmigration of identity, something Lynch may or may not have picked up from a 19th Century craze, I don't know. He continued working with this idea in Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire, though to me those two were less successful than Lost Highway, which is why I'm writing this. I hope more people can find out about Lost Highway and enjoy it as much as I have.

So, to appreciate this film I recommend not getting too caught up in understanding it. It's a harsh critique of Hollywood, for one thing. The humor is about as deadpan as you can get. The violence is not pervasive but is at times strong. I don't find it gratuitous at all, though. Many people get their attentions taken with the sense of dread that is certainly there, but I now see more of the humor and style. Lynch is, above all, the most stylish of all contemporary American directors, I think without even a close rival. Also, he may be the sexiest. His sex scenes just sizzle and pop, think about the seduction scene in Blue Velvet or the lovemaking sessions between Cage and Dern in Wild at Heart. This film is no exception, Patricia Arquette smolders and her love connection with the young hero feels real and alive.

The word "pretentious" some have used here puzzles me. Lynch may be Hollywood's least pretentious director! He's very true to his own vision and doesn't try to intellectualize. I don't get that criticism. Also, too much emphasis on "understanding" it. Look, it's kind of simple: there is a sort of identity migration. It's a mystical concept, no scientific basis for it, so you kind of have to go with it. It deals with evil in a way that may seem needlessly oblique to some but in return for a little patience and open-mindedness you get to see Robert Blake, in white pancake makeup, being Satan incarnate! I think that is worth the price of admission alone.