Any love for this un-Lynch like film here?

Possibly my second favourite of all of Lynch's films.

I struggle to find a flaw in it. Handled beautifully from start to finish.

I saw a trailor and got it at Netflix just two days ago. Didn't know it was Lynch until the opening credits. Couldn't believe it when I saw Disney associated with Lynch. But, yeah. What a gorgeous and touching movie. The lighting in some scenes represented the finest I've ever seen. (And this was on a 32 inch TV.) All the mini-stories were great, Alvin's confession at the bar w/ the other soldier was really powerful. I wouldn't put it on my top 50 because I have a personal preference for movies a bit quicker moving, but it was a gem.

The Cowboy wrote:I saw a trailor and got it at Netflix just two days ago. Didn't know it was Lynch until the opening credits. Couldn't believe it when I saw Disney associated with Lynch. But, yeah. What a gorgeous and touching movie. The lighting in some scenes represented the finest I've ever seen. (And this was on a 32 inch TV.) All the mini-stories were great, Alvin's confession at the bar w/ the other soldier was really powerful. I wouldn't put it on my top 50 because I have a personal preference for movies a bit quicker moving, but it was a gem.

The scene in the bar is wonderful. Lynch piping in the sounds as they tell their stories and Alvin with a glass of milk in front of him. Heartbreaking, but amazingly handled by our man.

It's a special film. Completely slays me every time.

blu wrote:Possibly my second favourite of all of Lynch's films.

I struggle to find a flaw in it. Handled beautifully from start to finish.

Agreed. I Watched for a second time a few days ago and enjoyed greatly.

But I can find a flaw in it: I didn't feel the sense of distance or time or pace was conveyed effectively. When Alvin is asked how long he's been on the road I had no idea AT ALL. He replies five weeks but it could have been five days or months. Ditto for how far he'd come. The distances are mentioned but is he half way? A tenth? Nearly there? Again I had no idea.

I also noticed a lot more Lynchian elements on this viewing. I'm more sensitive now I guess*:

• Sun-lounger suburban setting hiding underlying tensions
• Vaguely freakish inhabitants
• Familiar actors (Big Ed from TP)
• Overarching dying theme
• Metaphorical exploration of dying theme: journey, crossing river
• Electricity: at least two lightening storms
• Twins
• Can anyone see any more?

*Projection!

When I first saw it in the theatre, I loved it, but I didn't think it was very "Lynchian". Now that I've seen a lot more of his movies, it seems to fit in with the rest of his work. The main thing I noticed was, like Fred in Lost Highway and Dianne in Mulholland Drive, Alvin is working through his past, the things he's done and the kind of person he's become, and (thought it's fairly subtle in this movie) he's grappling with some distortion in what he allows himself to remember. From Leland Palmer onwards, I see a lot of Lynch's main characters as people who are sort of split within themselves, and are wrestling with the truth about the darker parts of themselves.

There's a good article that touches on some of this among other things: http://davidlynch.de/quarterstraight.html

Adding to the list of Lynchian elements:

• dogs being shown before a major event occurring
• image of a burning house
• glorification of basic foods (weiners here more so than coffee & doughnuts)
• hidden/suggested backstory

glorification of basic foods (weiners here more so than coffee & doughnuts)

like in Inland Empire there's a hot dog bar-b-q party.

Oh, another Lynchian element: the shot of the yellow highway markings underneath the moving vehicle - though of course in Straight Story they're moving a lot slowler

Very interesting Alacrates. I think you are onto something in that all these filmes deal with 'working through the past', distortion of memory and redemption.

This also ties in with the afterlife interpretations that allow for redemption, or at least closure, from re-evaluating past events. I'm reminded of It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol, in which the protagonist is forced to reaccess pas actions and perceptions of events by a supernatural guide.

I'm reminded of the TV Show LOST.