Inland Empire

I really wanted to see David Lynch's new film Inland Empire. It sounded like it would be quite a trip. And at three hours it would also be a long one. The film had trouble getting US distribution and Lynch is distributing it himself. But this is not because of its running time (although that could be a factor). It is more because of the very strange content of the film.

Laura Dern plays Nikki, an actress who is on the verge of getting a career making role. She is absolutely elated when she finds out that she got the part. But she is also a bit perplexed because a mysterious woman with a Polish accent dropped by her house claiming to be a neighbor. The woman seemed to have some strange premonitions about Nikki's upcoming film.

Forward to rehearsals with director Kingsley (Jeremy Irons), his assistant Freddie (Harry Dean Stanton) and Nikki's leading man Devon (Justin Theroux). During the rehearsals we find out that the movie Nikki is working on was made before. But it was never released because the two leads were murdered. It is at this point that things start to get really weird.

There is a Polish prostitute who watches television. There is a woman (Julia Ormond) who has a screwdriver in her stomach. This woman turns into Billy's (Devon's character) wife. Nikki's character Sue goes seems to have multiple personalities and it is hard to keep track of which one is which. And at any time during the film someone might break into a song (such as The Locomotion).

If it seems that I am not making any sense to you the truth is that I am not. That is because I can't make much sense out of the film. It is one long and surrealistic vision. I can't say I liked this film but I wasn't bored with it either (although I think that it would serve the film well if it was shorter). Irons is good as director Kingsley and Stanton is always a joy to watch. There are cameos by Diane Ladd (who is Dern's real life mother), William H. Macy and others. But the film belongs to Dern. She gives a phenomenal performance and her face registers every emotion under the sun. She certainly deserves an Oscar nomination but I don't think that enough Academy members will see this film so she will probably be left out in the cold.

Do I recommend this film to you? Well, not really. Although I respect the film and Lynch and I am not sorry that I saw it I think that it will only be appreciated by a small group of cineastes who like films that are beyond comprehension.