Inland Empire
A vindication of Lynch's maverick instincts.
Clocking in at three hours long, Inland Empire is by far David Lynch's most uncompromising creation to date. It may also be his best. Ostensibly revolving around a remake of a 'cursed' Polish film that was never completed, Lynch casts Laura Dern as the star of the piece – and this is indeed a career defining role for the actress.
Dern undergoes numerous Lynchian transformations throughout the film – from movie star to abused wife to prostitute – and as the surprising wit and pacy dialogue of the film's first half gives way to a sustained assault of jarring, traumatic imagery, it is Dern's ability to impose a dramatic unity upon these disparate elements that makes us feel that Lynch is taking us on a fantastic journey, rather than just bombarding us with deliberate non-sequiturs.
A triumph of the imagination, Inland Empire is a vindication of Lynch's maverick instincts which throws into stark relief the artistic limitations of conventional cinematic modes and narratives.