David Lynch has died. This is an irreparable loss for world cinema. Few creative geniuses as curious, expansive, and in love with life and cinema have existed like the American. Always staying fresh, interested in what was happening in the world, and with a positive attitude, he brought a different perspective to the world that was always appreciated by the audience. Especially in times when it seems that a genius like his is impossible. At least not in the United States. Certainly not in Hollywood.
That’s why his loss hurts so much. Because we not only lose him, we lose an entire way of seeing cinema. Of looking at the world. One that seems it will never return to the mainstream. Lynch’s great achievement is having managed to be, in some way, popular culture without ever compromising his way of looking. And that seems impossible today.
That is why, after finishing this small obituary, we are going to celebrate him, not mourn him. He would have wanted us to move forward and see the positive things, not the negative ones, because he always believed that a better tomorrow was always on the horizon. And while it arrives, we are going to offer you a great plan to honor the great master of cinema that Lynch was: a series of films to watch this weekend to celebrate his work and his life. Although one is not a movie. And no, we haven’t included Twin Peaks. Because even dedicating the whole weekend, you wouldn’t finish it.
Eraserhead
Released in 1977, this will be David Lynch’s debut and probably the strangest, creepiest, and most impenetrable film of his career. Inspired by Franz Kafka and Nikolai Gogol, the film is shot entirely in black and white, all the music is composed by Lynch himself and everything is immersed in an aura of surrealism and impenetrable horror that makes it fascinating.
What is Eraserhead about? It’s about a person named Henry Spencer whose girlfriend, Mary X, invites him to dinner at her parents’ house. From that point on, everything turns into a strange nightmare, psychedelia, and horror maelstrom where instead of fear, what it makes us feel is anxiety. And with good reason. We are never exactly told what is happening or why or what the logic of the events is. And that is exactly what Lynch intended. Something that makes Eraserhead a fascinating film that you have to approach with an open mind and be willing to be overwhelmed.
Blue Velvet
David Lynch would attempt to become a commercial director after Eraserhead with two moderately successful films, but where he would find his true voice is in his fourth film: Blue Velvet. A neo-noir with thriller elements that would bring him together for the first time with those who would become his favorite actors: Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, and Hope Lange. For many people, this film is the midpoint between Eraserhead and Twin Peaks. But it is much, much more than that.
Deeply erotic, delving into the symbolism and psychological characteristics of his cinema, it is a fascinating film that manages to keep our eyes glued to the screen due to the fascinating and disconcerting nature of its events. They work perfectly as a commercial thriller, but also as an experimental film and as neo-noir, it is one of Lynch’s most sensual films and, probably, one of the best mystery films in Hollywood history.
Lost Highway
No film has ever earned the cult title category like Lost Highway. An unclassifiable drama where even attempting to explain its plot is impossible. It begins with Fred Madison, a saxophonist from Los Angeles, receiving a message at his home: Dick Lauren is dead. From there, strange dreams pile up, people who are in two places at the same time, inexplicable visions, and the awareness that something is wrong. And somehow, its evident descent into madness formulates something that firmly sits between drama and thriller with an elegance that only Lynch is capable of.
Saying that Lost Highway is David Lynch’s best film is bold. But what is certain is that it is the best film to start watching David Lynch. Everyone involved is outstanding, all its strangeness is perfectly integrated into a (very) relatively conventional plot, and the soundtrack is nothing short of excellent. Making it the perfect gateway to the unique universe of this American genius.
Hotel Room
If you are reading this, it is possible that you already know David Lynch from before. That is why we wanted to throw a curveball and also offer one of his lesser-known works, which is no less interesting than those that come to everyone’s mind. That is why we have chosen Hotel Room, a dramatic anthology about a hotel called Railroad Hotel, with only three episodes, with a particularity: each episode takes place in the same room, in a different era.
With episodes taking place in 1969, 1992, and 1936, all the charm is there. It always happens in room 603 of the Railroad Hotel. And for some reason, the bellboy and the maid are the same in all eras. Something that, in Lynch’s own words, seeks to represent a certain essential truth that is only found in the fact of being in a space that does not change, traversed by different people in different times. A gem to be reclaimed, this Hotel Room.
Mulholland Drive
If there was something Lynch loved, it was neo-noir. Something he demonstrated in Mulholland Drive, an absolutely fascinating and impenetrable film that starts with what seems like one of the most mundane things that can happen: a car accident. Except that in reality, in one of the cars, there was a woman who was going to be shot by her driver, who is the only survivor of the car, has amnesia, and now the entire film is about her trying to figure out how she ended up in that situation. In an absolutely fascinating story.
In the hands of anyone else, Mulholland Drive would have been a disaster. In the hands of David Lynch, it is a masterpiece. Something that demonstrates something obvious: there are no bad ideas or concepts, only insufficient artists. Naomi Watts also helps with an absolutely incredible performance, as it could not be otherwise, but Mulholland Drive is the demonstration of everything David Lynch was and what it feels like Hollywood cannot be today even if it wanted to: an artist capable of anything. And for that, we will miss him so much.