INLAND EMPIRE

Last night, I was in attendance at the AFI Silver for INLAND EMPIRE with David Lynch. There was a 7:30 showing during which Lynch introduced the film and participated in a Q&A afterwards. For the 11:30 showing, Lynch just introduced the film, but AFI filmed the Q&A from earlier, and it was shown after the 11:30, so we still got to see it. When I got there shortly before 11:00, there was already a huge line inside waiting to get into the theatre. While waiting in line, our tickets were exchanged for wristbands so it would be faster to get everyone in. Shortly after 11:30, we were let in to the theatre. Some dude from the AFI Silver did a quick introduction, and then he introduced David Lynch. Lynch's introduction of the film was just a short thank you to the "hardcore crowd" who came to the late show, and he joked that he hoped we had a good breakfast when it was over. Then he introduced his composer friend and concert pianist, whose name I don't remember, and the two proceeded to perform a strange introduction on two synthesizers with Lynch reading a poem of sorts, which may or may not have anything to do with the film. Then the film began.

About the film, I can't really say much except it is a great film. It is about "A woman in trouble", as the poster's tag line says, and really, that is the best explanation of the film that I've heard thus far. Laura Dern plays the woman in trouble, Nikki Grace. She is a actress who is cast in a film directed by Jeremy Irons' character, and who co-stars with Justin Theroux's character. The film they are cast in, "On High In Blue Tomorrows", is said to be a remake of a Polish film that was cursed and never finished after the two leads were murdered. It has a ton of other people who have appeared in other Lynch films, most notably Harry Dean Stanton, who has some really funny moments. It would be useless for me to try to explain anymore about the plot, so I'll just mention a few observations about the film. Some have criticized the image quality of the film because it was filmed entirely in DV with a consumer quality camera (the Sony PD-150). I agree with Lynch's explanation, that the film quality of DV is like the early days of cinema when the picture wasn't perfect, and that adds to the overall feeling of the film. When something in the background is a little blurry, Lynch says it leaves more "room to dream". Fitting that "Room to Dream" was the title of a piece that Lynch did for Avid/Digidesign last year about doing a film with DV. I think it looked good and that the pros of filming in DV (longer takes, ease of movement, and less restrictions) greatly out number the cons. The story is non-linear, much like Mulholland Drive, but he gives you enough of a linear plot during the first part of the film, so that during the second half when things aren't as linear, you don't feel left behind, and you can draw your own thoughts as to what's happening. This film, like all Lynch films, can't be absorbed in a single viewing. I'm going to try to see it again before it leaves the AFI, as that will be the last chance to see it until it is released on DVD.


After the film credits, they showed the Q&A from the early show. For the most part, all of the questions and Lynch's answers were things that have been discussed in recent interviews. He did mention that INLAND EMPIRE is somewhat of a companion piece to Mulholland Drive, as it shares some of the same themes. He was asked what music he has been listening to lately, and he mentioned a group from Brooklyn called Au Revoir Simone. They are a three piece keyboard group who performed with him last week in NYC, and he said their music is just dreamlike. He talked a little bit about meditation and themes from his new book as well. Overall, it was just funny to hear some of the questions that were asked, and to hear David's responses or avoidance of them.

It was over around 3:15, and I didn't get back to Baltimore until after 4:00, which wasn't fun since I had to be at work at 10:00 this morning, but it was well worth it. This film is an amazing piece of cinema, don't miss an opportunity to see it if you can. It's playing through this week and as of now, it's scheduled for next week as well, so check out the AFI Silver site for more info and tickets.