Finally! I've been wanting to see this one since it was announced, and I didn't hesitate when the opportunity arose this weekend.Where to begin? A fitting question for a film as convoluted and maze-like as this one.
Long ago I had read it was shot entirely in DV, but this didn't prepare me for the initial almost distracting hyper-reality of this type of recording. I suddenly realized that my visual expectations were pretty rigid and that I've been jaded by the high-gloss artificiality of the standard Hollywood pictureframe. The home-video quality at the outset quickly dissolved as the masterful web of story began to take hold. In fact, later I had to marvel at the quality of the DV as it excels in the grungy reality much of the film portrays and is used masterfully for special effects.
The sound design is nothing short of brilliant and plays a key role as it does in so many Lynch films. Dark industrial rumblings, precisely-pinpointed noises, and endless reverbs that fade from scene to scene. Credits have Lynch listed as the sole sound designer, I'm impressed! The music is excellent, and often surreally unfitting to great effect. No Badalamenti involvement with this one as far as I know.
The story? Oh brother. Multiple layers of reality, filmic self-reference, rugs being pulled away from under me as soon as I formulate a theory about what the hell is going on. I love it. I think the best way to enjoy a film like this the first time is to suspend critical analysis and let it take you where it may... let it absorb into the subconscious and enjoy its mesmerizing whimsy.
I can pretty safely say this film is about Hollywood (the inland empire?), and more precisely about acting and the effect an actor has on the viewer. Laura Dern's character (btw probably the best acting I've EVER seen) is the driving force behind the plot, I feel like most of the film is a depiction of what is going on in her mind as she plays and lives through this role in "no more blue tomorrows" - but on another level the viewer (a lady often shown watching the action on a TV) is identifying with the action (perhaps sometime in the future) and superimposing her life onto the movie. The rabbit show seems to be a depiction of meaningless sitcoms with laugh-tracks tied to things that simply aren't funny. I have no idea where the Polish past comes into play... so much more to think about!
I will have to say at around 3 hours, Lynch fans will really get the most out of it. This one doesn't strike me as entry-level Lynch and is probably his most challenging yet.
IMDB
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