Inland Empire
Now we are in the realms of films I thought were absolutely fantastic. Many years ago, perhaps around 2009, Pixelmatsch and I started watching “Inland Empire” but then gave up after around 30 minutes. In retrospect, we were not ready for it. The PIFF is almost like a movie theater, it forces you to watch a film in its entirety without applying explicit force (you can always walk out of a movie theater too, you know). “Inland Empire” needs such a commitment, it’s a rollercaster of a film which can only be fully experienced if you refrain from making a single pause.
I am not sure if I can subscribe to any interpretation theory here, but it is obvious to me that the actress is connected to the prostitute and had to save her from an evil pimp by finding out her connection to the other woman. In order to that, she had to meet her former self as creepy old lady. That’s all I know, but from a single viewing it’s impossible to go into the details. I don’t even think it is possible to bring all these details together into some sort of cohesive picture, but I am happy that the film allows the viewer to accept some interpretation of what happened, giving both closure and a sense of happy end with its last scene. It seems David Lynch intended the film to end on a happy note, and that is exactly how I interpret it.
Apart from that, “Inland Empire” is more creepy than anything I have seen by Lynch, who employs virtually every single technique of psychological horror films successfully. There are those “scary mask in your face – waahhh!” sort of scenes but also the ones that are just dark and moody and creep up on you. I was seriously afraid of having nightmares after the film was over, but luckily I was incredibly tired afterwards and none of the sort happened. I always knew that David Lynch was great at creating a horror atmosphere, but it definitely hit me hardest in this film.
On the other side of the spectrum, “Inland Empire” sports almost “Twin Peaks”-like humor, with random inserts like the dance scene with the prostitutes. You can never take David Lynch too seriously, and it is doubtful that he does it himself, which only adds to the fun. Like most other long films (“Ai no Mukidashi” comes to mind), I think this film is best enjoyed without thinking about it too much, just take it in and enjoy the ride.
“Inland Empire” turned out quite different from what I imagined – for a mindfuck film it was much more understandable than I thought and I am so glad that we chose to watch it at the PIFF. If you are into David Lynch’s style, you must give this film a try too.