Absurda
(2007)
Directed by:
David Lynch.
In 2007, the omnibus film Chacun Son Cinema
gathered quite a few filmmakers from around the world and gave them 3 minutes
to make their case for the future of cinema. For Lynch, the result was Absurda
– which is a fascinating little three-minute film, although I must admit, I
have no idea what the hell he’s saying about the future of cinema. The three
minute short takes place in a movie theater itself – with a trio of people
talking watching a movie on the screen, when one of them, a young woman,
realizes that she is seeing herself on the screen – and that what she is seeing
is her nightmare, which is starting to come true. The film is Lynchian
surrealism at its finest – disturbing, violent, a little bit of humor involved
– all down with an unmoving camera in a movie theater. This is one of the best
of the Lynch shorts.
Boat (2007)
Directed by:
David Lynch.Written by: David Lynch.
Starring: David Lynch, Emily Stofle.
There isn’t all that much to say about Boat – a
seven minute short that Lynch made for his website. It’s an odd little film to
be sure – with a voiceover from a woman talking throughout the early part of
the film, with only visions of a boat, and the sea, as visuals. Then the boat
pulls away – the driver is Lynch himself – who wants to take the boat so fast
they can journey into the night. This seems like Lynch goofing off to me – I
have no idea what this means, if anything. But it is amusing (especially the
shot of Lynch at the controls), the sound design is classic Lynch, and it takes
a strange turn near the end. Not bad by any means, but if it means anything,
it’s lost on me.
Blue Green
(2007)
Directed by:
David Lynch.
Like Boat, I think Blue Green is mainly just
Lynch goofing off a little bit – but even if this film is only half the length
of Boat, I think there’s a lot more going on – and is a nice bit of Lynchian
surrealism. The film is made up of several types of shots – including returning
time and again to a tracking shot of a happy little boy skipping through an
industrial hell scape. There’s also scenes of a woman, who is going through
some sort of pain, and various shot of a man watching it all. Blue Green doesn’t
make a lot of coherent sense – but it’s a haunting little film, that comes back
to your head again and again, which is perhaps all it was intended to be.
Shot in the
Back of the Head – Moby (2009)
Directed by:
David Lynch.
Other than Absurda, my favorite thing Lynch
directed in this post. Shot in the Back of the Head is a music video for the
wordless Moby song (which I’m pretty sure I’ve heard multiple times on This
American Life), and this animated video fits the song perfectly, and works as a
mini-Lynch film in its own right. A man comes home to his wife, when another
man enters, and does what the title implies. There are surreal touches through
– floating body parts, etc. and the song and the video go together perfectly. A
lot of these late shorts, etc. seem like Lynch goofing off – but this one
works.
42 One Dream
Rush - Dream # 7 (2009)
Directed by:
David Lynch.
This film is basically 42, one minute short
films, giving directors a chance to show off one of their dreams in a minute or
less. I think perhaps I should go back and watch the entire film other than
just the Lynch segment – afterall, some of the 42 directors include Kenneth
Anger, Charles Burnett, Leos Carax, Larry Clark, Abel Ferrara, Mike Figgis,
Harmony Korine, Gaspar Noe and Carlos Reygadas. On the other hand, I love
Lynch, and his one minute segment is completely forgettable and fairly uninspired
– some nonsense involving an egg. You would with a roster of directors like
that, this would have garnered more attention. Perhaps there’s a reason it
didn’t.
Overall these five shorts (and others) are interesting – but other than Absurda and
Shot in the Back of the Head, forgettable, and feel like Lynch just having a
good. You be the judge as to whether or not you want to see that.
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