As weird as Twin Peaks was, the idea of watching a film that worked as an anti-closure prequel to its cliffhanger finale and alienated what fans of the show remained kept me away for some time. But I finally watched Fire Walk With Me and found it not only to be worthy of its companion show's legacy but almost certainly the best film David Lynch has yet made. At once the most obscure and the most immediate film in Lynch's canon, Fire Walk With Me attains a despair unabated by the usual Lynchian grotesque, yet it also finds the strangest form of hope. And wouldn't you know it, even though it ends where the show began, it does give answers for the series' close. They just happen to be emotional ones, not narrative.
Check out my full piece up now at Spectrum Culture.
Great review. This movie contains one of my all time favorite movie quotes, when Donna says 'If I had a nickel for every cigarette your mom smoked ... I'd be dead.' Exquisite.
ReplyDeleteThree years ago I met David Lynch, when he was doing a lecture on transcendental meditation, and I brought my copy of 'Fire Walk With Me' for him to sign. I told him it was my favorite of his films, and he replied, and I'll never forget this, "Really? I like it too." That's one casual dude!
What a great story. I know someone else who met Lynch and found him a nice, supportive man. It's a shame this film got the reception it did; I think it's aged beautifully and is one of the greatest proofs of his artistry.
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