An Ode to David Lynch

 On January 15th, legendary filmmaker and artist David Lynch had passed away at age 78. Actors, entertainers, and artists alike die everyday, and this is one of those deaths that really set some pain in my heart. I haven’t seen all of his films. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I must be honest. Haven’t even finished Twin Peaks. I definitely plan to now. The guilt is waaaayyyyy too real. 

 I was in high school and began to sprout my horizons on film and media in general; going back to classic silent films of the 20’s and 30’s, the more dirty realism of the 70’s, and an overall surrealism and avant garde take on storytelling. And if you ever take a creative route, you will more than likely be recommended David Lynch’s filmography. I read some reviews on Eraserhead and Blue Velvet, but didn’t think I was ready for them when I was a teenager. 

When people say Lynchian, they’re usually referring to the surreal, dream-like (or nightmarish) mood with storytelling usually depicting the familiar as strange and all that’s unfamiliar as terrifying, while somehow maintaining this absurdist levity during the calm parts. They’re weird. It’s hard to explain because one of David’s films is something to be experienced rather than explained; it’s felt rather than thought. It’s quite the visceral experience.  

My journey through Lynchian films actually began with The Elephant Man. I watched it in high school as the story of Joseph Merrick and how a person lives with such a disfiguring disease as he had. And I was immediately struck by the direction. It was soaked in empathy in the strange and made me feel for Joseph’s plight. I had to have more of this director and his near spellcasting-way of shooting. 

Then it was onto Eraserhead. Jesus Christ. I won’t even begin to describe how uncomfortable I felt watching it. Like I previously said, it’s one of those films that’s meant to be felt rather than go through point by point. Eraserhead made me feel uncomfortable because I felt I was peeking directly into David Lynch’s unfiltered subconsciousness. Everything’s laid out on the table and, like a dream, is up to the viewer of what it means if it does have a specific meaning, or if there are multiple ways to interpret the ideas laid out. 

So I had to keep on digesting whatever this unique vision was pumping out. I watched a bit of Twin Peaks before my attention turned elsewhere. Which I still need to revisit! That and Twin Peaks: The Return. Then I watched Mulholland Drive which is easily one of my top 10 films. There’s still plenty more of his films I still need to watch. As I’m writing this, I watched Blue Velvet for the first time only yesterday. Damn. What a trip that was. There’s still plenty for me to digest when it comes to his filmography that’ll stick with me far after I’m finished with the movie. A friend of mine, Ryan, rightfully called me out when I told him I watched it. “It only took you David Lynch dying for you to finally watch Blue Velvet.” So true it is. My full apologies, David. 

And as a little anecdote, Ryan also recommended this short film of his called What Did Jack Do? If you’re not familiar with it, go watch it immediately because it is just so damn funny. So many quotable lines that we reference when we get together. I’m so, so glad that short film exists. 

David Lynch’s vison is unique and will be one of those voices that’ll be studied for the rest of time that cinema exists. It’s a curious thing to be him in interviews. He comes off as a little strange, but full of warmth and good nature. He was very enigmatic and quite coy in answering questions about his stories. He wanted the audience to view his work how ever they want to interpret them. Which is antithetical to how an audience generally wants to feel after a movie. (Looking at all the Youtube videos titled like “[THIS FILM] EXPLAINED IN 15 MINUTES.”) He was a filmmaker that seemingly borrowed from a bucket’s worth from an ocean of consciousness. He also introduced the idea of a show having one narrative and each episode would progress that narrative in Twin Peaks. Which is insane that it took an artist that long to have such a structure because most shows nowadays follow longform storytelling, particularly with the miniseries format being popular at them moment. 

What a titan in his field and in storytelling in general. What a tremendous loss the world has experienced. Much love to you. Thank you for all you’ve done, David Lynch.