Review of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) by Harry E — 01 Jul 2010

Twin Peaks is perplexing, as it follows the TV-show model of attachment to characters within the confines of narrative, while Lynch is interested in traversing the assumed boundaries of space, time, logic - basically subverting everything that defines narrative in favor of what more closely resembles a dream.

That's probably what turns a lot of people against this movie, as they go in looking for explanations and wind up in a strange netherworld with monkeys, strange sounds, and suffering manifested in the form of creamed corn.

Lynch, of course, recognizes this, hence the presence of investigators (surrogate viewers) who are similarly lost. It's all quite cinematic, free from the constraints - and, simultaneously, the comforts - of the television world of Twin Peaks, departing from the reality we knew from there while also enhancing and expanding upon it.

The film ranges from beautiful to disturbing to maddeningly bizarre, and these aspects are often combined. Laura Palmer's struggle, conveyed through Sheryl Lee's remarkable performance, is extremely powerful and affecting, but ultimately the mysterious paranormal elements are the most compelling.

We can't resist the lure of the Black Lodge; its aura of the unknown continues to haunt us no matter how hard we try to explain it.