Inland Empire
David Lynch's new film Inland Empire is a totally unique piece of film-making. Much has been made in reviews and media coverage of the switch to filming on Digital Video instead of on film, but it is difficult to gain any appreciation of the effect of this without actually seeing the film itself - the way Lynch has used these DV cameras has produced a totally new cinematic experience. The self-referentiality of the film (on the surface, it's a film about the production of a film) is only one of the elements served by the employment of DV. Perhaps more important is the possibility of fluid, unstable, often fuzzy and unfocused shots (particularly close-ups) which seem to me to be able to imitate the human gaze in a manner which has never been achieved on film, or with the bulky cameras needed to shoot on film. It also destabilises the image sufficiently to make leaps into abstract imagery seem natural - as a result, it is not only the appearance of unexpected, abstract imagery which can unsettle the viewer, but (because of the blurring of the boundaries) the entire film.
Lynch is not the first to use digital videos to generate visual abstraction in film (video artists have been doing it for years), but I have never seen it done is such a sustained and coherent (and thus, affecting) way. What is unique and original about Inland Empire is that it is not something which should be playing on a loop in an art gallery - it is cinema, but not cinema as I have ever seen it.
Finally, Laura Dern's performance is absolutely phenomenal - a plurality of roles, with blurred boundaries between them, playing into one another, which she plays so convincingly that it totally conceals how demanding the film must have been.
On opening night at the only West End cinema which is showing the film (the Odeon Covent Garden, who have happily placed it in their biggest screen - which was 3/4 full - this is important, as on a smaller screen the impact of the film would surely be greatly diminished) the mixture of reactions was on balance largely positive. In a 3 hour film, many will need a toilet break, so walkouts could potentially go unnoticed, but if there were any at all, it was very few. It was particularly heartening to see groups of teenagers of about 14 or 15 so excited about the film (although I seriously wonder about the 15 certificate for what is at times a deeply unsettling film). On the way out, expressions of bewilderment prevailed, but happily, few seemed to regret the experience for this reason. Hopefully the film will stick around for a while and enjoy some success. It is truly something which can only really be experienced in the cinema - where it is possible to be really drawn into the film. I have a feeling it is also necessary to surrender oneself to it completely in order to appreciate what is happening. Having said this, much of the second half of the film is extremely unsettling, with an intensity which may simply be too great for some to cope with (I began to imagine I was seeing things off-screen in my peripheral vision which were not there, and at times felt deeply uncomfortable, but unable to leave).
Inland Empire is a uniquely powerful piece of art, which should be approached with openness, and a willingness to accept that much of its beauty lies precisely in the unsettling confusion produced by narrative developments which make little or no logical sense. Each moment should be experienced for itself. Surrender yourself to the film, and it will give you a totally original experience.
Lynch is not the first to use digital videos to generate visual abstraction in film (video artists have been doing it for years), but I have never seen it done is such a sustained and coherent (and thus, affecting) way. What is unique and original about Inland Empire is that it is not something which should be playing on a loop in an art gallery - it is cinema, but not cinema as I have ever seen it.
Finally, Laura Dern's performance is absolutely phenomenal - a plurality of roles, with blurred boundaries between them, playing into one another, which she plays so convincingly that it totally conceals how demanding the film must have been.
On opening night at the only West End cinema which is showing the film (the Odeon Covent Garden, who have happily placed it in their biggest screen - which was 3/4 full - this is important, as on a smaller screen the impact of the film would surely be greatly diminished) the mixture of reactions was on balance largely positive. In a 3 hour film, many will need a toilet break, so walkouts could potentially go unnoticed, but if there were any at all, it was very few. It was particularly heartening to see groups of teenagers of about 14 or 15 so excited about the film (although I seriously wonder about the 15 certificate for what is at times a deeply unsettling film). On the way out, expressions of bewilderment prevailed, but happily, few seemed to regret the experience for this reason. Hopefully the film will stick around for a while and enjoy some success. It is truly something which can only really be experienced in the cinema - where it is possible to be really drawn into the film. I have a feeling it is also necessary to surrender oneself to it completely in order to appreciate what is happening. Having said this, much of the second half of the film is extremely unsettling, with an intensity which may simply be too great for some to cope with (I began to imagine I was seeing things off-screen in my peripheral vision which were not there, and at times felt deeply uncomfortable, but unable to leave).
Inland Empire is a uniquely powerful piece of art, which should be approached with openness, and a willingness to accept that much of its beauty lies precisely in the unsettling confusion produced by narrative developments which make little or no logical sense. Each moment should be experienced for itself. Surrender yourself to the film, and it will give you a totally original experience.
posted by UK plc at 10:13 AM
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