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In any of the interviews involved with the promotion of Inland Empire What is it about? It's about a woman in trouble. Actress Nikki Grace (Laura Dern) is trying a comeback in a movie directed by Kingsley Stewart (Jeremy Irons). It is revealed that the last time anyone tried to turn this script into a film, the leads ended up dead. This production is as cursed as the one which preceded it. Nikki's husband is a threatening presence, though it never really becomes clear why. The first half of the film is rich with mystery. Lynch keeps us intrigued with little details that may or may not be important. Harry Dean Stanton plays Freddie, an assistant to the director who we see asking for money from several members of the crew. Is this important? There's a noise in the darkened corners of the sound stage. What could it be? Nikki is given a dire, if bizarre, warning from a foreign visitor to her home (Grace Zabriskie). There are bits with rabbits talking in an emotionless monotone in an apartment (accompanied by a laugh track). This is the meaty sort of surrealism that whispers 'Lynch' through a keyhole. It is compelling even if it seems to have no place in the main drama. The most compelling point is when Nikki is drawn into the fiction that she's acting in (perhaps this is how it went before). It becomes reality in such a brilliant way. I won't ruin it for you - you need to experience this for yourself. After that, it gets more difficult to follow. There are compelling vignettes throughout, but the last third of the film seems less purposeful, perhaps more improvised. It pulls it together for the ending and makes some sense, but not in a way that you can write about. Inland Empire This is the first film since Eraserhead The second disc of the DVD set includes 211 minutes of special features: outtakes entitled "More Things That Happened," lots of footage of "Ballerina", a loose, behind-the-scenes chapter called "Lynch 2," and some great interview footage with Lynch, a chair, and a microphone in front of a red curtain called "Stories". There is a short feature on how Lynch prepares his favorite vegetarian dish from Quinoa, a protein-rich seed. The second disc seems so unlike what Lynch has been willing to share in the past. No commentary track, of course, but he's amazingly open about the making of this film on this second disc. Take as much or as little of this as you want. I look forward to what Lynch has to offer in the future, and this is worth checking out. |
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